Knights Ferry
by lynalexandria
Summary: Olivia is a writer in need of a change of scenery. The move is supposed to be temporary, a year at the most, but will she find something that will hold her there? Olitz centered and endgame.
1. Stood Up

**Alright soooo, I wrote this because I miss seeing them together ): . I'm not sure how long its going to be yet, its just a fluffy little story that I've had in my mind for a little while. There's probably going to be a minimal amount of angst because I feel like we get enough of that form the actual show. Happy Scandal Thursday by the way for those of you still watching!**

* * *

'Dont goooo!' Abbey cried while clinging to Olivia's waist in the parking lot of her apartment complex, clad only a cute little silk nightie and a pair of long socks. She told herself she wasn't going to do this but yet, here she was.

'Abigail stop it!' Olivia hissed lowly to not bring attention to them. She picked Abbey up and dusted her knees off for her. 'You've been doing so good.'

'I know I know but that was until I saw you getting in your car to leave.' she whimpered.

'It's just for a year, beautiful, then I'm coming back. Now, go get some rest.' she hugged her friend tightly through her whining.

'I don't want rest. I want my best friend to stay here.' she groaned.

'This is impossible.' she sighed. 'I need a change of scenery. I need to find some inspiration somewhere.'

'Well, lets just switch apartments. Will that be enough of a change for you?'

'No.' she snickered. 'I promise I'll call once I get there.' she smiled apologetically and hugged Abbey once more. After exchanging 'I love you's and more hugs, Abbey finally let Olivia leave and head towards her destination.

It would be a 2 hour drive from Sacramento to Knights Ferry, California where she would be staying for the next 365 days of her life. While she hadn't visited, it wasn't hard to find a house in the area and the mayor of the small town seemed really excited about somebody moving into the only vacant house there. Luckily for her, the previous owner left the house fully furnished and what she couldn't fit in her car, her friend Harrison had already dropped off by the house for her.

Remembering that there were no major grocery stores in the town, she stopped by a Whole Foods that was about 30 minutes away from Knights Ferry and stocked up on a few of her favorite snacks and some things she could make for dinner that night then continued on her route.

When she arrived in town, she shuddered. She knew it was a 'rural town', but it was quite a culture shock to actually be there. There was one general store and one restaurant and the rest was just open land and houses. She took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her composure. It was going to be impossible to like this place but she was going to have to learn to love it.

She pulled up at the small house that was supposed to be hers to find a man sitting outside on the porch in a rocking chair. Olivia grabbed her keys with the pepper spray keychain and approached the house carefully.

'Hello?' she cocked her head to the side, still not climbing the stairs to the porch.

'HELLO!' the older man boomed loudly. He stood from the chair, grinning ear to ear as he nearly flew off the porch to greet her. 'You must be the new owner! I'm Mayor Holland and I'm very pleased to meet you!'

Olivia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She had never heard of a mayor coming to greet new citizens of a town. 'I am.' she nodded.

'Wonderful! I have your keys right here!' he pulled them out of his pocket and Olivia held her hand out for them but he instead turned around and opened the front door and took a step in.

Olivia grimaced when she finally got a look at the house. It wasn't horrible but it definitely was different than the way she was used to living. The living room was small and had a fireplace in the front with a little cozy kitchen attached. There was only one bedroom and it was down the hall and the bathroom was connected to it.

'So, what do you think?' he smiled hopefully.

'It's um.. Cute. Thanks Mayor Holland.' she smiled weakly and nodded her head.

'Well I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything, anything at all, then just holler. My wife and I stay down the road right there in the blue house.' he pointed out the window to it. 'We all stick together around here.'

'I'll be sure to keep that in mind.' she nodded her head again.

'Good! We don't want you to feel alone in this. We know how hard it is for some young pretty lady such as yourself to pick up and just move so don't you worry about a thing, darlin'.' he grinned and wrapped Olivia in a hug that shocked her to her core before leaving.

Olivia waited until he had walked a good distance down the road before walking outside to unload some things out of her car. She was in a pair of Nike leggings and a black v-neck shirt and as she got her groceries out, she realized she was being watched. Her new neighbors were standing on their porches and eyeing her.

She crinkled her nose a little nervously before waving and continuing on with her tasks. After looking at the people, she realized she wasn't really dressed the part. All of the women she saw were in baggy work clothes or dresses that didn't seem to flatter them at all. After finishing, she locked her car door and went inside to start on dinner.

Olivia turned her laptop on and put it on the kitchen table so she could watch Netflix while she cooked. She nearly burst into tears when she saw that her wifi still hadn't been set up. Instead, she put on a movie that was already on her laptop and went to start her meal.

After baking chicken and sautéing some vegetables, she sat and watched her movie. She still had some things to unpack so she worked on doing that until she went to bed that night.

* * *

The next day, Olivia got up to go to the general store to pick up a few more items that she needed. She shifted a little uncomfortably as she realized people were watching her as she shopped. One thing she really missed about being in a bigger city was that nobody paid attention to who you were. They were always too busy wrapped up in themselves to realize you even existed.

Olivia grimaced as she walked through the bottled water section of the smallest grocery store she had ever visited in her life. She never meant to come off as 'bougie', but this had to have been a joke. There was absolutely no sparkling water in the whole entire store. With a sigh, she picked up a case of Deer Park, a brand she had never heard of before, and turned to put it in her grocery basket. Her muscles ached as she realized how heavy it was.

'Allow me.' said a man with a gravelly voice and the prettiest hazel eyes she had ever seen. She smiled softly before allowing him to pick the case of water out of her arms and walk it over to her basket.

'Thank you.' she said appreciatively, slightly shaking her arms in an attempt to regain some feeling in her limbs. She didn't necessarily want to stay in the little town of Knights Ferry, California but she may as well take advantage of some of the sights while she was there. He looked to be around her age with a few signs of age marking his face. His brown t-shirt read 'Sheriff's Office' on the front in faded letters and it was tight enough for her to be able to appreciate his built figure. Biting down on her lip softly, her eyes wandered to how his biceps flexed as he effortlessly placed the water in her basket.

'Absolutely no problem, ma'am. You must be new around here.' he turned back to her, now leaning his backside against her basket.

'I am. I just moved in yesterday. My name is Olivia, by the way.' she held her hand out to him.

'Sheriff Jacob Ballard. But you, pretty lady, can call me Jake.' he gently took her palm into his and placed soft kisses on the tops of her delicate fingers.

'Well, it's extremely nice to meet you, Jake.' he released her hands and she moved them to the back pockets of her dark washed skinny jeans.

'I don't mean to be too forward and I know you said you just moved here, but I'd really like to take you out on a date.' he ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair and she got a good whiff of his cologne. It wasn't anything special or extraordinary but it smelled like heaven nonetheless.

Never the one to be shy or back away, her lip turned up into a grin. 'And when exactly would this date take place?'

'Friday night at 7:30. I'd hate to keep you out too late. Dinner and dancing sound good?'

'Sure.' she pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him and they exchanged phone numbers.

'Do I need to follow you around and make sure you don't struggle with anymore heavy items?' he smiled hopefully.

'Hmm.' she hummed, glancing at her basket. 'I actually think I'm ready to checkout.'

'Well, then I'll go with you.' he held up the coke and bag of chips that he had resting in the oversized pockets of his cargo pants. He escorted her up to the shortest checkout counter and helped her unload her groceries to the belt. As he loaded the bags in the cart, the walkie talkie on his hip started buzzing.

'We've got a Code 292 out past the market.'

Jake looked at her apologetically and pulled the device from his belt loop. 'I'll be in there in 3 minutes.' he started rushing out the door but smiled at her 'Friday, 7:30!' he shouted.

'Alright.' she smiled and waved goodbye as he left. After paying for her items, she took them out and loaded them in the trunk of her car then called Abbey.

'I have been here for 48 hours and I already have a date.' she said smugly.

'Only you could manage that.' she playfully scoffed. 'Now the real question is.. Have you started writing yet?'

'No.' she said in annoyance. 'Geez, can I unpack my panties first?'

'No! I need to know what happens next and I'm extremely annoyed that you haven't let me read any of the new book.'

'You're worse than those kids on the internet.' she laughed lightly. 'At least they don't have my phone number.'

Abbey had not only been her manager and friend, but she was the biggest fan of her series 'As The Hours Pass', a fantasy story about a couple who met and fell in love only to be separated by a time warp. The book chronicles the two of them trying to find one another despite their distance. She had started writing it for a fun stress reliever in high school and Abbey found it on her computer. It was Abbey who had given her the courage to not only publish the first book, but to go on and write a few sequels.

'But I'm your best friend and I really really really really really need to know what happens at after Vincent gets locked in the lab.' she groaned in a high pitched tone, hurting Olivia's ears.

'I called you to tell you about the hunk I met today!'

'Fine, fine, but there's no way in the world anything that's going on in freaking Knights Ferry California is more interesting than the new book. You wont even tell me the name of it!'

'Shut up! So his name is Jake and he has pretty brown eyes and he's super buff and he smells really good.' she sighed happily. 'He said dinner and dancing on Friday night.'

'That sounds fun, Olivia. Want me to do a background search on him?'

'Hell yes. My internet still isn't hooked up here so I can't do it myself. Jacob Ballard.'

'I told those idiots to have that ready when you got there.' she grumbled and made a mental note to call the company. 'If I do the search, will you tell who said the line 'Touché, troublemaker?''

Olivia rolled her eyes. She had tweeted a teaser line a few months ago but didn't tell who said it or in what context. Troublemaker had always been the nickname for the stories heroine, Grace, but she only allowed Vincent to call her that. People had gone crazy after she released it. It was one of the main reasons she left the city. She couldn't go anywhere without being harassed and it was making it harder to write. She still had her apartment in Sacramento and only planned on staying here until the book was finished.

'Abbey, why can't you just wait a little while longer? Don't you want to be surprised when I give you the first manuscript?'

'No! I need to know whether or not Vincent and Grace finally end up in the same place. My heart is aching.'

'Do the background check then I'll give you a clue.'

'Already done. Jacob Hamilton Ballard, only child, no drug or arrest history. Seems like a small town guy who never left home. He's cute.'

'Any kids? Secret wife?'

'Nope. Never married, no kids. He's all yours, Liv.' she grinned. 'Now, my clue, please?'

'Alright, alright. It wasn't Vincent.'

Abbey gasped loudly and started yelling something but Olivia just laughed and hung up. Her friend had always been good about keeping a secret so she knew the hint wouldn't get out. Plus, Abbey was selfish. She would probably run around singing 'I know something you don't know' until the book was actually published.

* * *

 **Friday Night**

Olivia definitely stood out from the other women in the little town. It was a small rural city and people mostly worked on farms and with their hands so the usual attire was jeans and work boots. She had noticed that constantly being in Ralph Lauren dresses and heels definitely turned the heads of the towns people.

There was only one restaurant in town and it doubled as a bar that people gathered at for a drink after their work for the day was done. She parked her black BMW in between two muddy trucks near the front and got out. It was 7:30 on the dot and she assumed that Jake was already there and waiting on her.

The summer heat called for something lightweight and short and she dressed accordingly. She wore a thin black dress that stopped midway at her thighs and the neckline plunged right at her cleavage. She had never been able to drive in heels so when she got out the car, she pulled her red leather pumps on her feet.

She made her way in the restaurant and everybody watched as she walked by and sat at a table. Glancing around the room, she realized Jake still hadn't made it so she decided to just wait inside. She could feel people looking at her but had gotten used to it in the week she had been there. She wasn't going to start wearing baggy overalls and t-shirts to make anybody's wives more comfortable.

'Who's she?' the bartender, James, asked the mayor who had come straight from city hall for a beer before he went home. That was his Friday night routine. Work, a few beers, then going home to his wife who was sure to have a fit about his intoxicated state. He had just arrived so he was definitely sober enough to answer his question.

'She's some hotshot writer from the city. Pope I think is her name.' Mayor Holland said, eyeing Olivia's exposed thighs.

'She's definitely not dressed the part.' he chuckled. 'She must have a date with someone to be dressed so fancy.'

'Must be.' the man beside them piped in, his eyes never leaving Olivia. 'I think I'm going to ask her out.' he said confidently.

'While she waits on her date to show up?' James laughed, shaking his head.

'No but I'm sure I'll see her again.' Fitz grinned and turned back around towards the bar to take another sip of his scotch.

The bartender laughed then yelled. 'Get out here, Mellie!'

Mellie emerged from the back where the kitchen was in a pair of loose jeans and a red t-shirt. Her hair was up in a bun with a red polkadot headband keeping everything in place. 'What, daddy?'

'We've got a customer out there. Take her a menu would ya, sweet pea?' he handed her one of the laminated menus from behind the bar and gestured to Olivia who was still sitting alone.

Mellie's nose crinkled. She had seen Olivia in town earlier that week and didn't like her for the simple reason that the other women in town didn't. She was unwanted competition for the men.

Now she was on a date and Mellie wondered which one of the men she had managed to scoop into her web already. She took the menu around to her and put on the brightest smile she could manage.

'Welcome to James' Place. What can I get you to drink?' she handed her the menu.

Olivia sat back in her seat, holding the menu in her lap while she quickly glanced through the drink menu. Seeing that the alcohol selection didn't go past beers or a few other hard liquors, her nose crinkled. 'Waters fine. Thanks.'

'No problem.' she took a quick note then smiled at her again. 'Are you ready to order or do you want to wait a while?'

Olivia glanced down at her watch and sighed. 'I'll just wait a little longer.'

'Sure thing. Holler if you need something.' she went back behind the bar and stood beside her dad. Pressing the cup against the water dispenser, she scoffed.

'Not too fond of the new girl, Mellie?' James smirked.

'Who does she think she is? I bet she only wears designer clothes.' her eyes rolled.

'Aw, sweetie. We can go to the city and get you a few of those designer brands.' he kissed her temple but Mellie swatted him away. She had been trying to coerce Fitz into asking her out on a date for 2 years now and he was being embarrassing.

'So, Fitz.' she turned her attention to him, smiling brightly. 'How are those calfs doing?'

'Pretty good. Thanks for asking.' he returned the smile but then looked back down at his glass. He was pretty aware of Mellie's advances but had never been interested in her. Usually Fitz would have one glass then go home but now he was genuinely curious as to who she had decided to grace with a Friday night date.

After 30 minutes, Olivia called Jake but didn't get an answer. She blushed with embarrassment, realizing she had probably been stood up. She dialed a very familiar number.

'Hello?' Abbey answered on the first ring, realizing something must have been wrong if she was calling during her date time. Concern coated her usually cheery voice.

'Abs, I think I've been stood up.' she sighed, playing with the straw that sat in her second cup of water for the night.

'What!?' she growled, ready to drive and beat up whoever it was right then and there. 'He hasn't showed up?'

'No. And I've sent like 2 texts and I called and he hasn't answered and now I'm sitting here looking dumb.'

'I'm on my way right now!'. It seemed irrational but Olivia knew her best friend. She was probably getting dressed to drive there right then.

'Abbey you don't have to come here. I'll be fine. I should've been writing tonight, anyway.' she reasoned more to herself than to Abbey.

'Everybody deserves to go on a few dates, especially you! You haven't been on one in sooo long! I cant believe that asshole! Are you sure you don't want to come down there because I will. Just say the _fucking_ word.' she snarled out her last sentence.

Olivia laughed lightly. 'I'm sure. I'm going to wait a little while longer then I'm just going to count my losses.'

'I can't wait until you leave that hell hole.' she spat out, obviously a lot more worked up about the situation that Olivia was.

'Goodbye, Abigail.' she smirked and shook her head before hanging up. Olivia kept her hope alive and waited until 8:45 before finally realizing that he actually wasn't coming.

She exhaled and picked her clutch up. The water had been free but she at least wanted to leave something for Mellie who had brought her another cup as soon as she finished one. What made the situation even worse was that because people had been watching her all night, they were all acutely aware of the fact that she had been stood up. She left a $10 bill on the table and held her head up confidently as she walked out and went towards her car. Mellie skipped over to get her tip.

Fitz had been watching out the corner of his eyes all night and saw that his chance was slipping away. He glanced over at James. 'Put it on my tab. I need to catch her.'

'Hurry, boy.' he grinned and picked Fitz's cup up off the bar to wash it out.

With rushed, long strides, Fitz was able to make it out the door right before she got into her car. He approached her slowly but didn't stand too close after he realized their size difference. He figured that a man 2 feet taller than her coming up to her at night would've probably been a bit intimidating.

'Hi.' he smiled softly, tipping his wide brimmed hat back so she could see his face. The only light around them was coming from the stars in the sky and the neon signs on the restaurant.

'Hi.' she looked up to him, wanting to end the conversation. She had had enough of handsome strangers for the time being. Right now, all she wanted to do was drive back to Sacramento and drink wine with Abbey.

'My name is Fitz.' he held his hand out and she took it.

'Olivia.' she said as he shook her hand.

'Well, now that we know a little bit more about each other, why don't you let me take you out on a date?' he grinned boyishly.

Olivia crossed her arms and shook her head. 'Sorry. I'm really not in a-'

'I saw what happened in there.' he cut her off but spoke softly. 'I'm not sure what asshole you were supposed to be with but let me tell you we're not all like that.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' she looked away from his gaze.

'You're dressed all nice and pretty and you drank water for an hour.' he was hesitant at first but he took a step closer to her. 'You're already out. What's the harm?'

Olivia wanted to resist him but he did have a point. She was already dressed and it really would've been a waste of an outfit if she didn't have somebody to gawk at her in it. Plus, Fitz was definitely charming and she'd be lying if she said the scruff on his face wasn't cute.

'There's only one restaurant in town and I'd prefer not to go back in there.' her nose crinkled.

'I _definitely_ wasn't going to take you back in there.'

'Then where are we going?'

'Do you trust me?' he grinned and held his hand out to her.

'No.' she said seriously before taking his hand and locking her car door. She followed him out to his pickup truck and he helped her inside before getting in on the drivers side.

'Did you just get this?' she asked as she put her seat belt on. She had made a mental note of the tag number and had sent it to Abbey. She had seen too many episodes of Southern Fried Homicide to let herself completely get caught up.

'Yes, actually. Brand new. How'd you know?' he turned on the engine and backed out of the parking lot.

'New car smell.' she shrugged and looked out the window. The silence in the car gave her enough time to think about what is was she was doing. She was in the middle of no where in a strange man's truck going God knows where and she had left her taser and pepper spray in her car. She needed to get out of this. Now.

Before she could change her mind, they pulled up to this huge black metal gate at the end of the road with the letters 'GF' carved into the front. Fitz pressed a button on his dashboard and it opened for them. Olivia looked around curiously on what seemed to be a large piece of land. Before long, they approached a large farm house. It was brown with a wooden wrap around porch with white rocking chairs set up at the front.

After turning the truck off, he hopped out and quickly made it around to her side. He opened the door and took her by the hand and helped her down. He escorted her up the porch and into the house. Fitz took off his hat and placed it on the coat rack by the front door and turned the light on.

She glanced around the room and was slightly surprised to see that it was tastefully decorated. The medium brown hardwood floors look as if they had just been polished and the walls were painted a very warm red. One on end of the room there was a stone fireplace with a flat screen tv mounted about it and a sectional sofa facing towards it. On the other side was a small desk and chair with book shelves filled to their brim.

Fitz kicked his boots off and smiled down at her. 'Want me to take your shoes? I'm no expert but I'm sure being in heels all night is no fun.'

Olivia regarded him closely, wary about giving into him so easily, but she conceded and removed her heels and handed them over to him. If he didn't tower over her before, he definitely did now. He went to put their shoes away then led her into the kitchen.

This was no ordinary bachelor's pad. At least not any type Olivia had ever been in. The kitchen was clean and well organized. In the middle sat a tall island with barstools so she sat in one of the seats, her feet dangling down.

'Now, I'm sure you're hungry. I could whip up something for us but it may take a while.' he opened his freezer, revealing a few packages of meat that would've needed to be thawed out and seasoned first.

Olivia stood up when something caught her eyes. She walked over the to freezer and reached in and grabbed a box of Eggo waffles. 'Do you have any eggs?'

'I sure do.' he grinned at her and Olivia had to fight looking at him too long. Fitz opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs and placed them on the counter top. He pulled out a skillet from the cabinet and used a lighter to light an eye on the stove.

Olivia noticed a Beats speaker further down the counter and she moved towards it. Something about being around him seemed so freeing and she had no clue how to describe it. He noticed what she was doing and smirked.

'This will really let me know whether it'll be a second date or not.'

She shot him a look and playfully scoffed. 'I'll have you know I listen to very high quality music.'

'Let's hear it then,' he said as he rolled up the sleeves on his blue and green tartan shirt, revealing muscular biceps with light chestnut colored hairs sitting on top. She sucked her teeth at the challenge and played her first song before walking back over to him.

As the stove got warmed up, he went back to the refrigerator and pulled a pack of bacon and 2 cans of whipped creme and a bottle of syrup. He pulled another skillet out and started an eye.

'Alright, do you want to do the bacon or the eggs?' he held the egg carton up in one hand and the pack of bacon in the other.

'Eggs.' she smiled and grabbed them from his hand. 'How many do you want?'

'2, please.' he said while opened the bacon. 'How many pieces of bacon do you want?'

'Just one. How do you like your eggs? I eat mine **scrambled**.' they said the word at the same time. Olivia felt her skin heat up slightly but she just smiled at him and reached inside a little cup with utensils and cracked their eggs open.

Once they got done cooking, they both sat on the island and talked. Olivia was trying to keep her guard up but every time he made some stupid joke she found herself laughing harder than she had in years.

'Now, tell me what brings you to our fair town?' he grabbed one of the bottles of whipped cream he had taken out and put it on top of his waffles and she did the same with hers.

'I wanted to get away from the city for a while while I finish my new book.'

'You're a writer? What type of stuff do you write?'

'Well, I have a few books but my most popular series is 'As The Hours Pass'.'

'Wait a minute.' his eyebrows furrowed and he stood up from his seat and disappeared into the living room. He came back with a neatly wrapped pretty silver box with a gold bow on top. He lifted the top of it and help up one of her books. 'You wrote these?'

'I did.' she smiled proudly and watched as he shut the box again and put it underneath the kitchen sink. He took his seat back beside her.

'My sister has been begging me to get her the hardcover editions. Her birthday is next week.' he smirked and shook his head and went back to his waffles.

'Aw, I could autograph them for her if you'd like.'

He hadn't even thought about that. 'She would die of excitement.'

'I aim to please.' she laughed lightly. 'So did you grow up here?'

'No. I'm originally from DC. I gained an interest in veterinarian studies so I ended up going to MSU in Mississippi. While I was there I minored in Agriculture studies and I stayed there until I obtained my doctorate.'

'Wow, impressive Dr. Grant. Do you ever miss the city?'

He though for a second then spoke up. 'Sometimes. I miss the convenience of the city more than anything. It's so hard to find a good latte out here.' he playfully grunted.

'Tell me about it.' she grinned. After their meal was done, Fitz stood up.

'Can I show you something?'

'Don't you want to clean up a little first? I'd hate for this stuff to stick to your pans.'

'Hm, good point.' he smiled and they went over to the sink. Olivia turned the music back on and they washed dishes in an extremely comfortable silence. As the song changed to something more upbeat, she smiled up at him.

'Do you know this song?'

'I don't think so.' he shook his head, listening as the music started.

'It's one of my favorites' she grinned and handed him another plate.

'Well, then its probably horrid.' he teased and took it from her.

 _Born and raised under the rain and a Western Wind_  
 _Felt the weight trying to live up to they say I am._  
 _Is it any wonder Shame comes calling my first name_  
 _Is there any question if I'm the one here left to blame_

 _It's the same fight all over again_  
 _It's the same bite breaking under my skin_  
 _It's the same light when you let me in_  
 _You let me in you let me in._

Olivia smirked as she notice him bobbing his head to the music. When the lyrics started back up, she playfully bumped her hip against his.

 _I feel like a contender_  
 _Bringing my fist to pistol war_  
 _I surrender that I need you now and you've loved me more_  
 _It's like an ocean over my head and I'm under the light_  
 _In slow motion tonight_

He bumped her hip back, careful not to use all of his strength. She gasped playfully at the contact and pushed him with her hand, getting his shirt slightly wet since she had been drying dishes. Their brief contact confirmed that he was as toned and hard as he looked.

 _It's the same fight all over again_  
 _It's the same bite breaking in my skin_  
 _It's the same light when you let me in_  
 _You let me in you let me in._

He chuckled lowly and bumped her a little harder this time, making it clear that she wouldn't be winning anything physical against him. She analyzed the counter top until she found the bottle of whipped cream she had earlier. She slowly reached for it. Fitz noticed what she was going for and inched his hand towards his own, both of them now watching the other out the corner of their eyes.

 _You are the air I breathe_  
 _You are the song I bleed_  
 _You are the war that I can't win_  
 _This is my white flag in the wind_  
 _Every word you speak_  
 _Is the air I breathe._

As soon as the chorus started, they both whipped around, spraying the other with whipped cream.

'Stop, Fitz!' she laughed as he easily held her little wrists together and sprayed all over her face. With much wiggling, she was able to free herself to get him back. Both of them now a mess of whipped cream. After both cans ran out, they stood there looking at one another and laughing at how ridiculous they looked.

If anyone were to ever ask, they would have no clue who made the next move. It was probably a joint effort that had Olivia pinned against the counter top while Fitz kissed her passionately, their bodies sticky from their previous actions.

Fitz kept his hands chastely at his waist, careful not cross any boundaries that they had already stomped all over. His tongue teased her upper lip, begging for an invitation inside. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth for him and reached up rest her arms on top of his shoulders.

 _You are the war that I can't win_  
 _This is my white flag in the wind_

He hadn't intended for it to get this far but he couldn't get enough. There was absolutely no other place he wanted to be than right there standing there kissing her while they were covered in whipped cream. His tongue explored the inside of her mouth until he was drinking her moans and whimpers. They kept their tempo slow and tender to avoid having part lips for too long for air.

After neither of them could breathe, they released each other and smiled. They just couldn't help themselves.

'Hi.' he said, wiping some cream off her top brow then caressing her cheek.

'Hi.' she pressed her face in his palm and they both just stood in admiration for a moment.


	2. Trust Me

So I meant to upload this yesterday but I had a horrible migraine. I would like to say thank you for all your reviews on the story- they truly mean a lot and I hope that the rest of the story can live up to chapter 1 :).

Enjoy and review 3

* * *

 **After neither of them could breathe, they released each other and smiled. They just couldn't help themselves.**

 **'Hi.' he said, wiping some cream off her top brow then caressing her cheek.**

 **'Hi.' she pressed her face in his palm and they both just stood in admiration for a moment.**

 **XXX**

'You're a mess.' she smirked and shook her head.

Fitz cocked an eyebrow then moved to cradle her face in both his large hands. 'I'm a mess? You should see yourself.'

'You did it.' she playfully huffed.

'Well, you started it.' he accused with a grin. Fitz looked her up and down, eyeing her outfit. 'I don't think your dress survived the song.'

Olivia looked at him quizzically before finally glancing down at her outfit. She cringed at the sight but sighed happily. She'd just have to send it to be dry cleaned. 'It'll be ok. I'll just have to soak it when I get home.'

'Well, I've got some extra clothes you can borrow until then.' he smiled, fantasizing about how she would look walking around in a pair of his sweatpants.

After working together to clean up the kitchen, Fitz brought her down a pair of his sweatpants and an old t-shirt that he had that happened to be a small. Olivia went to the downstairs bathroom and cleaned herself off and changed out of her dress. She had makeup on but after their activities in the kitchen, she wiped her face clean with a remover wipe from a pack she kept in her purse.

When she came back out, he was waiting for her in the living room. He had changed into a white short sleeved t-shirt that hugged his torso just right and a pair of basketball shorts. Fitz couldn't help but smile. She looked just as beautiful in sweatpants as she did in any designer dress. He reached out and took her free hand.

'Are you ready?'

'Ya. What did you want to show me?' she threw her dress on the coffee table. She'd ruin 5 more if the night kept going so well.

'Come on.' he lead her to the front door and opened it. She stopped abruptly as he tried pulling her outside into the darkness.

'I don't have any shoes.' she shook her head and looked down at her perfectly pedicured feet.

'Neither do I.' he reminded with a smirk. 'Don't you trust me?' he tugged her along.

'No.' she cautiously followed behind him into the darkness. One thing she really liked about this place was the night sky. Sacramento didn't allow such unobstructed views of the universe above them but Knights Ferry was perfect in this aspect. She had truly never seen so many stars up in the heavens.

Fitz shut the front door behind them then led her behind the house using the wrap around porch. When they reached the backside, there was a tractor sitting in the grass. He helped her down the stairs and they walked through the soft grass.

'If I step in animal poop I'm going to literally kill you.' she mumbled as the grass went in between her toes. Thinking back on it, she never had the gall to walk outside without shoes on. Her parents would've probably killed her if she tried it when she was younger and she definitely didn't have any interest in it now.

'There's no animal poop around here.' he chortled and walked her over to the tractor then stood behind her.

'You want me to get on that thing?' she raised an eyebrow, looking up at it. 'I've never seen one of these in real life.' she mumbled, touching her hand against the green metal.

'Absolutely. It'll be fun.' he grinned. It wasn't a top of the line piece of equipment but it had been working perfectly since he bought it years ago. He picked her up by her waist suddenly and she couldn't help but shriek. Her initial shock turned into amusement as she burst into a fit of laughter, his hands easily holding her up.

With Fitz's help, Olivia managed to climb up into the leather seat and she watched as he got in with ease. She bit her lip as her gaze went down to his biceps, flexing as he pulled himself up. If anything else, he was a beautifully built man.

He sat behind her in the tight seat and turned the key in the ignition and it started, now vibrating underneath them. Olivia crinkled her nose at the smell of the diesel fumes it was emitting as she curiously studied the dashboard of the machine. Fitz rested his chin on her shoulder, his chest flush against her back, as he put her hands on the steering wheel.

'My feet wont reach the pedals.' her bottom lip protruded as she placed her legs on either side of his, her knees resting on top of his.

'You steer, and I'll take care of that part.' he smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist and lightly pressed down on the gas. Olivia smiled victoriously as she managed to keep the wheel straight. It was actually a lot more fun than what she was expecting it to be.

He gave her a little while to get used to it then pressed down a little harder. Olivia slightly panicked as they started going faster and she shook her head, about to release the steering wheel.

'You're doing great.' he soothed, placing a kiss on her cheek and holding onto her petite waist a little tighter. 'Turn left up here by the hill, ok?'

'Ok.' she nodded slightly and calmly put her hands back on the wheel, gripping it harder than necessary.

Fitz had no clue where this new feeling rising up in his stomach came from but it was strong. The way her petite body fit up against his so perfectly would have anyone believe that they were just pieces of a puzzle that were meant to be together. He placed another soothing kiss on her cheek and she relaxed completely in his arms.

 _Mine._

After they made it past the hill, Fitz brought them to a stop beside an older looking barn. The red and white paint was chipping on the outside and the wood seemed to be slightly falling apart. It definitely looked like it had seen better days. He turned the tractor off then climbed down and held his arms out for her.

'Jump.' he smiled widely up at her.

'No!' she hissed, afraid of the height she would have to drop down. Her feet dangled off the side and she realized that she probably wouldn't be able to climb down by herself, either. She assessed the distance once more before furiously shaking her head.

'Yes. C'mon, Olivia. Trust me.' he said, his eyes pleading.

That seemed to have been he theme for tonight. Trust. It was few people on this earth that Olivia truly trusted and here he was asking for it after a few hours of knowing her. It was dark but the stars allowed her to see the way he looked at her. He needed her to trust him.

Her gut wrenched in the core of her stomach. She trusted her gut more than anything else and it was telling her to jump down into his waiting arms. Her hands balled up into fists as she judged the distance once more, her feet still dangling off the side.

'I'm going to jump.' she announced more to herself than to him.

'And I'm going to catch you.' he replied, his arms still up and waiting on her.

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip but nodded her head. With much hesitation, she jumped down from the seat, her eyes shut tightly as she expected to land on her feet or fall. To her surprise, her feet never made it to the ground. She opened her eyes slowly to realize that Fitz had caught her by her waist.

'I wasn't going to let you fall.' he said seriously before gently setting her down on her feet.

They walked into the empty barn together then went up a set of stairs to a small crawl space up top. There was hay all over the floor but a nice plush blanket sat on top of it. 'I come up here sometimes at night to clear my head.' he admitted while helping her sit before joining her. Fitz laid back on the blanket and pointed up to the sky, making Olivia notice that most of the ceiling was missing.

'Do you know anything about stars?' he asked.

'Nothing at all.' she admitted before shifting to lay next to him, their arms touching up against the others.

'Well, you see that really bright one up there?' he pointed upwards.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched for it then she nodded. 'Ya. What is it?'

'Vega.'

'How do I know you're not lying? 'she smirked and turned her head to face him.

'I guess you're just going to have to start trusting me.' he grinned and moved closer to her and she settled herself into his side, now laying her head on his shoulder.

'Tell me about another one.' she requested softly, gazing up at the sky.

'Well, Vega is really apart of a bigger constellation.' he pointed up at the sky again. 'It's the brightest star in Lyra which kinda makes the shape of an eagle.'

'Mhm.' she nodded her head and continued listening. Usually things as mundane as stars wouldn't interest Olivia but she laid there, listening intently to him as he went on about the constellations.

After stargazing and listening to Fitz's smooth baritone, she found her eyes starting to flutter. The smart thing to do would've been to get up and have him take her back to her car so she could go to bed at her own house but Olivia didn't want to be smart right then. She just wanted to lay there and listen to him talk. His voice seemed to get softer and softer before she finally let her eyes close.

Fitz noticed she was falling asleep but he couldn't help himself. He didn't want to take her home just yet. He figured if he just looked up at the sky and pretended not to notice, he'd have a valid excuse as to why they fell asleep together tonight. He lowered his voice slightly as she seemed to drift off. Her light snoring confirmed that she finally succumbed to her drowsiness.

He glanced over at her and a smile played on his lips. Her head was still resting on his shoulder and her full lips were slightly parted. How in the world could somebody be so beautiful as they slept? As much as he wanted to keep her there, he didn't know how she would feel about waking up next to him in the morning. He begrudgingly poked her sleeping form.

'Olivia.' he said softly but she didn't move an inch. 'Olivia, wake up.' he lightly shook her arm.

Olivia knocked his hand away, her eyes fluttering but never opening. Fitz smiled. If she was upset, he'd deal with the consequences in the morning. There was no way he'd be able to wake her up now.

* * *

Olivia stretched and yawned and rubbed her eyes and instinctively reached out to grab her cellphone from where her night stand usually was but ended up with nothing but a handful of hay. Still half asleep, she slid her thumb across her palm as if she was unlocking her phone.

It was a bad habit that showed how wrapped up in her work that she got. Usually when she woke up her phone was buzzing with emails and text messages so every morning, before opening her eyes, she would unlock her phone and start getting ready for her day.

Fitz had woken up a few minutes before her and couldn't help but laugh to himself. He debated waking her up but this was way too funny to not watch it play out. It took her a solid 2 minutes to finally realize that she wasn't actually on the phone and her eyes creeped open, the California sun staring back at her.

'Shit.' she muttered, shielding her eyes away.

'Good morning, sleepy head.' he smiled down at her, now sitting up.

'What time is it?' she yawned again and allowed her eyes to flutter open once more in an attempt to get them adjusted to the light.

'Well, I left my phone in the house but I'm assuming its around 8.'

'We slept here all night?' she asked in disbelief. She never imagined herself sleeping on a bed made of hay but last night was definitely a night of firsts. She sat up, now gazing out of the open wall of the barn. She knew he owned a lot of property but being way up in the barn allowed her to get a good view of it.

Separated by a fence, she could see fields stretched out where horses and cows were grazing and a few more larger sheds where she assumed the animals stayed. Growing up in the concrete jungle, she never got a chance to see anything like this. The sky was brighter, the air was fresher, and it peacefully quiet. The grass was truly greener on the other side.

'All night long. Want to go back to the house? I can get some breakfast going before I take you back to your car.'

'Sure.' she nodded. Fitz stood to his feet and helped her stand then led her back out of the barn.

Fitz helped her climb back up on the tractor but sat in front of her this time so he could drive. Olivia yawned softly and wrapped her small arms around his broad waist and lazily rested her head on his back and her legs outstretched widely around his hips.

She found herself confused as they rode back in silence towards the house. They had been sleeping outside in hay all night so how in the world was it possible for him to smell so good? Olivia yawned again and rubbed her cheek into the soft cotton of his t-shirt.

It didn't take them long to get back to the house. He got down first and held his arms out for her. Olivia glanced down, regarding him closely.

'Ready?' she asked, wanting to make sure he would catch her.

'Always. Come on.' he nodded his head. Olivia hopped down a few moments later and he caught her by her waist then set her on her feet with a smile. 'I'm not going to drop you.' he said with conviction as he released her waist and they went back inside the house.

Fitz went to the bathroom to wash up and when he returned to the kitchen, he found Olivia standing at the island. She had gotten the books from underneath the cabinet and was signing the first one.

'What's your sisters name?' she asked without looking up, admiring the hard cover copy of her work. She had been kind of wary about consenting to having this more expensive edition made but seeing it now let her know it was a good decision.

'Tiffany.' he said, smiling at her morning glow as he went to the stove to start with breakfast.

Olivia worked to sign every single book and put a special little note in the back of the last one, thanking her for reading. After she was finished, she wrapped the books back up and put them back underneath the kitchen cabinet where she found them then went and sat at the island.

Fitz's kitchen and dining area had huge windows placed across the walls that allowed the sun to beam through them and caused the marble of the countertops to shimmer slightly. She picked up her phone that had been sitting there all night to check her messages. While she didn't have any from Jake, she had 20 missed calls from Abbey and 10 more from her other friends who obviously heard that she went MIA.

She sent them all a quick text to let them know she was ok then turned her attention back to Fitz who was flipping pancakes on the griddle. Her night had turned on 100x better than she had expected. Olivia rested her chin in her palm, her elbow supported by the counter, and took the time to admire his physique. There was absolutely no reason in the world anybody needed to be as perfect as he was in that moment.

She stared at him until he finally turning around, a smug grin taking over as he realized that she must have been watching him. 'Breakfast is ready. Can you grab the plates?' he gestured over to the cabinets.

'Sure thing.' she said hurriedly, embarrassed at being caught. She hopped down from her stool and walked over to the cabinet and opened it. 'Um, Fitz.'

'Hm?' he hummed, turning the stove off.

'I don't think I can get the plates.'

Fitz cocked an eyebrow then looked up to see what the issue was. It didn't take him long to realize that because he kept most of his things on the top shelves, she couldn't reach them. Olivia turned to face him, pouting, and he thought he would melt right then and there. She was the absolute cutest woman on earth.

There was no way in the world she knew the affect she had on him.

He smiled as he walked over to her and moved the stacks of plates and bowls down to the lower shelf and made a mental note to keep them there for her. If things kept working out the way they were now, Fitz planned on having her over at his place as much as he could and he wanted her to feel comfortable.

Olivia grabbed two of the plates that he had moved to the lower shelf and glanced over them. They were simple but elegant with a pure white center and black covering the outside. They walked back over to the stove and Fitz served food on both of the plates while Olivia grabbed some cups and the juice from the refrigerator.

They sat together at the island. 'So, how was that for a first date?' he asked with a grin.

'Perfect. Thank you.' she smiled sincerely and poured them both some juice.

After breakfast, Fitz and Olivia got into his truck so that he could drop her back off at her car that was still parked outside of James' Place. It wasn't until they pulled into the gravely driveway that Olivia realized that she was still barefoot. She groaned at the thought of having to step on the rocks.

'What's wrong?' Fitz asked as he pulled up beside her car, eyebrows furrowed.

'I left my shoes at your place.' she sighed.

Realizing what the problem was, Fitz hopped out of the truck and walked over to her side. Olivia watched on quizzically as he took his button down shirt off. Her breath hitched at the sight of his chiseled torso, defined from farm work. He laid the shirt down on the ground then opened the passenger side door.

'Now the rocks wont stick in your feet.' he smiled sweetly then held his hand out to her to help her down.

Olivia's jaw nearly went slack in disbelief of what she had just witnessed. She had seen men do these types of things in old movies but she never believed anyone would seriously attempt it. She regarded him closely as she took his outstretched hand and stepped down, landing on his shirt.

After digging in her purse for a few moments, she found her keys at the bottom and unlocked her car. Fitz opened her door and after placing a kiss on his cheek, hopped into her seat. He watched her drive away before picking his shirt up off the ground and heading back towards the farm to work on some chores.

* * *

Olivia stood in her bedroom clad only in a pair of panties as she searched through her drawers for some pajamas. After leaving James', she took a shower and had called Abbey.

'So explain to me exactly how you ended up spending the night at a stranger's house.' Abbey questioned. After Olivia sent Fitz's tag number, she had stayed up all night waiting to make sure she got home safely. When she didn't hear from her anymore, she put all of their friends on high alert.

'It all happened so fast.' she explained apologetically. 'One minute I was getting into my car and the next I know, I was listening to him talk about constellations while wearing his sweatpants.' she picked a dark purple silk spaghetti strapped gown and looked at it closely before deciding to put it on. She put the phone on speaker then threw it on her bed while slipping the gown over her shoulders.

'That's almost as romantic as Vincent and Grace's story. Almost.' Abbey sighed dreamily and Olivia rolled her eyes.

'Abbey, coco coconut.' she said seriously. That was their code word when they needed to talk about something serious. They had come up with it sometime during elementary school and even though it was silly to others, it meant the utmost business to them. She picked the phone back up and balanced it between her ear and shoulder.

'Coco coconut' she repeated. 'This must be serious. What's wrong?' her eyebrows furrowed worriedly.

'I really like him. And its weird because I've known him for less than 24 hours but I seriously like him. I've never felt this way about anybody. Is that weird?'

'Yes.' she snorted 'Want me to do a background check?'

'Please do.' Abbey started clicking away on her computer so Olivia continued. 'I don't think I've had that much fun on a date in my life. And he had all the time in the world to try something with me but he didn't. We kissed like once.'

'Was he a good kisser?' Abbey asked while still typing away.

'So good.' she groaned. 'I could barely remember my name once he got done.'

'Ew.' she laughed then gasped loudly. 'Liv this guy is so much hotter than the other one.'

'I know I know.' she gushed, only imagining what picture Abbey was seeing.

'Everything checks out on him. He has a doctorate!?'

'In Veterinary Medicine. He minored in Agricultural Studies during undergrad.' she said braggingly and Abbey squealed on the other end.

'Dr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald Grant. I'm coming to meet him next weekend.'

'No!' she shook her head furiously even though Abbey couldn't see her. 'Give me a minute to find out exactly where we're going with this then you can come see him.'

'Hopefully towards the altar.' she snorted. 'Tell me more, tell me more.' Abbey requested as she reclined back in her seat, wanting all the petty details.

'Yes, mother.' she said dramatically. 'This morning I accidentally left my shoes at his place so he actually took his shirt off and laid it on the ground so I wouldn't have to step on the rocks.'

'You're lying!' Abbey laughed in disbelief.

'I'm serious! And, he let me steer when we rode the tractor last night.' she boasted, proud of herself.

'Oh I have to come meet him now. Does he have a brother?'

Olivia thought for a moment, trying to remember if he mentioned a brother. 'I don't know. He only talked about sister who, by the way, loves my books.'

'Everybody who reads loves your books.' Abbey's eyes rolled. 'So what about a second date? Are you going to see him again?'

'I hope so.' she sheepishly admitted before flopping back on her bed, now laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling. 'Things are different here. Usually when you go on dates you go get drinks or to a museum or maybe like a walk in the park or something. There's nothing to do here.'

'I'm sure Mr. Perfect will come up with something.' Abbey smirked. 'What about Sheriff Asshole?'

'I don't know.' she sighed. 'I still haven't even heard back from him but I'm sure we're going to run into each other again. I was so wrapped up with Fitz, I hadn't even thought about Jake.'

'Did you just say 'wrapped up in Fitz'? Olivia Pope, did you have sex with him last night?' her eyebrows raised.

Olivia could almost see the shit eating grin her friend had on her face at that moment. 'No. Why does everything turn into sex when I talk to you? Wrapped up as in my mind was wrapped up in him.'

'Well, I think you should.' Abbey said matter of factly. 'The writer and the farmer. What a match.' Abbey said while scrolling on her computer to find Fitz's Facebook page and deciding whether to add him or not. If she was completely honest with herself, she knew she was going to.

'Agriculture Researcher.' Olivia corrected. 'He says he's been working on this project with hybrid plants and animal nutrients. He's been experimenting with how organic feed affects the-'

'What a loser.' Abbey playfully teased.

'Anyway.' her eyes rolled. 'I was hoping he would want to go out tomorrow morning after church services.'

'Church? In the morning? They don't have like.. Afternoon services or something?' her nose crinkled at the thought of not having a lazy Sunday morning in.

Usually, Abbey and Olivia would sleep in Sunday mornings then meet up with their other friends for brunch and then go back to bed. Sunday was meant to be a recharge day for them. The thought of getting up early caused knots to form in both their stomachs.

'No.' she sighed. 'There's like 50 people that live here and they all go to the same church at 8:00am sharp.'

'8am? As in 8 in the morning?' Abbey nearly choked. 'You must really like this guy.'

'I suppose I do.' she sighed contently.

'When do they eat brunch?' she asked curiously, in sheer disbelief that anybody could survive without a mimosa on Sundays.

'They don't.' Olivia laughed at her friend's dramatics. 'They eat big breakfasts then do their chores or whatever.'

'Oh my God. I think I'm going to be sick.' she gagged. 'I'll be thinking about you tomorrow when I meet up with the others for brunch. I'll even eat an extra waffle in solidarity.'

'Solidarity. Right.' her eyes rolled. She knew she would miss having Sunday brunch with her friends but the thought of spending Sunday afternoon with Fitz excited her more.

* * *

After Fitz dropped Olivia off, he went to his computer to do a little research. After typing 'Olivia P', her name popped up in the Google search engine. He clicked on her name and went to her Wikipedia page. It didn't say much about her personal life, only mentioning that she was from San Diego and now residing in Sacramento. Her information showed that she was 26 years old but it didn't have a birthday down for her.

He continued his web search, finding different blogs. He found over 15 separate fan clubs for her, their pages plastered with paparazzi photos. He found a photoshoot that she did for an interview last year and People Magazine had been calling her 'The Hot Stephanie Meyers'.

Fitz clicked on an older Buzzfeed article titled 'Tractor Beams and Beauty: The Olivia Pope Story'. The article talked about Olivia's surprising rise to the top in a mostly male dominated field of science fiction books. The video that accompanied the page showed people's reactions of meeting Olivia for the first time a convention called OdysseyCon.

Taking a note from J.K. Rowling, Olivia's first book was released under the name O.C. Pope. At the time she was afraid that if people found out she was a woman, her books wouldn't sell as well. So, she kept it ambiguous until she finally did a panel discussion at the convention and people were shocked to say the least. The rest of the books all carried her full name and had a small picture with an author's note in the back.

He scrolled through a few more pictures of her getting awards and even watched an interview or 2 before his watched beeped, reminding him of his work.

Realizing that he had been staring at pictures and articles for the past half hour, he shut his laptop and went to start on his chores. After putting on his boots and brimmed hat, he went to get his day started.

* * *

Olivia took a deep, relaxing, breath as she balanced herself on her arms on top of her yoga mat. She was suffering from a bit of writers block and needed a distraction. Writing used to be the way she retreated from the world but now that it was her actual job, she sometimes needed a break from it, too. She had been in yoga since her freshman year in college and had mastered a lot of advanced moves.

In Sacramento, she didn't have a yard so she and her friends would practice in a studio in the downtown area. Her new backyard in Knights Ferry allowed her to get some fresh air while enjoying her workout. She shut her eyes as she stabilized herself in Eka Pada Koundinyasana I, her legs outstretched widely as she hovered in the air. After a few moments, she slowly pushed herself into a firefly position and took a few more deep breaths.

Her eyes popped open when she heard her phone ring from beside her. She usually turned it off while she did her yoga but she had forgotten. She gingerly lowered herself on the mat and sat down and glanced at the caller id. A smiled played on Olivia's lips as she read out the name 'Fitz Grant' on the screen.

Deciding to play it cool, she waited a few moments to answer it. She tried to calm the excitement out of her voice before answering.

'Hello?'

'Hi, Olivia. Did I catch you at a bad time?'

'No. What's up?' she laid back on her mat, looking up at the sky but using her arm to shield her eyes from the sun.

'Nothing. I was just wondering you if you maybe wanted to come over for dinner tonight. I could cook a real meal instead of Eggos and sausage.' he laughed a little nervously. He knew proper dating protocol called for at least 24 hours before calling but he couldn't help himself. While Fitz didn't want to crowd her, he did want to see her again.

'I'd love to come over for dinner.' she said reassuringly, sensing the hesitation in his voice. 'But, just so you know, I really did enjoy the Eggos.'

'I'll keep that in mind.' he smirked. 'Does 5 sound good to you?'

Olivia glanced down at her watch. It was barely 1 so that gave her plenty of time to shower and get ready. 'Perfect. I'll see you then.'

'Bye.' he said with a smile.

'Bye.' Olivia hung up and sighed contently before calling Abbey to tell her about her dinner plans.

* * *

Olivia called Fitz when she was about 5 minutes away from the ranch. It hadn't been that long since they parted ways but it seemed like an eternity. Abbey's lecturing was the only thing keeping her from going an hour early. He answered on the first ring.

'Hi.' he smiled. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. He missed her way too much to try and play hard to get.

'Hi. I'm about 5 minutes away so I'm going to need you to open the gate for me.'

'I'll be waiting there for you.' he said reassuringly before Olivia hung up.

When she pulled up to the gate, he was waiting on the other side to press the button so she could get in. He had on his brimmed hat with a gray t-shirt, a pair of bootcut jeans, and his brown work boots. She rolled her window down.

'Get in.' she unlocked the passenger side door, a smile plastered on her face at the sight of him.

'I don't want to get in your car. I'm dirty and I smell.' he frowned, gesturing down to his clothes then eyeing the brown leather upholstery of her car.

'Please?' she poked her bottom lip out and he smiled. There was no way he could resist anything she asked him for when she made that face. He got in on the passenger side and she drove them the rest of the way to the house, parking her car beside his truck.

He got out quickly then came around to her side to open her door for her. Now able to greet her properly, he kissed her tenderly.

'Ive been wanting to do that for the past few hours.' he mumbled against her lips.

'Me too.' she admitted with a grin then bit down on his bottom lip, bringing him back into another kiss. He let out a small groan before taking her lips once more.

This felt so good but it absolutely terrified Fitz. Whatever this connection he and Olivia had was electric to say the least. He had never felt this way about a woman before, let alone one that he just met, and they're making out for the second time within 24hrs. He had always been taught that if you were serious about a woman, then you take things slow. While he felt serious about Olivia, slow wasn't the word he would use to describe their speed.

Using his body weight, Fitz pressed her against the car, both his hands resting on either side of her against the metal, trapping her in place. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers lazily tussling around in his hair as his tongue sought refuge in her mouth.

'Slow and steady.' he admonished to himself as he began purposely eliciting moans from her.

'Slow and steady.' he repeated again as he started to drink in the beautiful whimpers leaving her mouth. He would never tire of hearing that sound.

'Slow and steady.' he chastised himself as her breathing became a bit labored. He needed to stop but he definitely didn't want to. He pecked her lips once then twice then pulled away.

She smiled softly at him, her heart working a little harder than normal as she tried to regain her normal breathing habits. He had managed to get all the boring work out of the way so that they could have some fun together before dinner.

'Fitz, how old are you?' Olivia asked as they walked into the house. While an age gap wouldn't really bother her, she was genuinely curious.

'32' he answered while opening up the front door for her to walk in.

'You're so old.' she teased, giggling.

'It's only a 6 year age gap.' he commented as she shut the door.

Olivia was silent for a moment then burst into laughter. Fitz raised his eyebrows as he watched her, confused as to what was so funny. 'What's funny about that?'

'I never told you my age. You Googled me.' she snickered.

Fitz's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Busted. He effortlessly picked her up by her waist and hoisted her up in the air. 'Are you making fun of me?'

'Yes.' she shamelessly admitted as she planted her hands on his broad shoulders beneath her.

'Wrong answer.' he lifted her higher in the air and started spinning around.

'Stop! Stop!' she laughed harder, trying to get a grip on him. 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'

'That's better.' he smirked and set her gently back down on her feet. Olivia playfully punched his chest, her bottom lip protruding.

'That's not fair.'

'Life's not fair.' he shrugged and kissed her hairline. 'I have one more thing to do before dinner. Want to ride along?'

'Yes.' she smiled and nodded her head. She had a feeling she was going to find her way outside with him so she opted to keep her yoga pants on but put a t-shirt on over her sports bra and her size 6 Nike tennis shoes adorned her feet.

'Hmmm.' he hummed while looking her up and down then got an idea. He walked over to a little closet that was in the corner of the room. 'Shut your eyes.'

'Okay.' she nodded and shut them, covering them with her hands for emphasis.

A few seconds later, she felt something touching her scalp. She opened her eyes to find he had put a brown hat on her head that was similar to his. He grinned widely.

'You're a regular old farm girl now.'

'I suppose.' she laughed and adjusted it on her head then followed him outside.

'Think you can drive the tractor by yourself today?' he grinned as he led her to the back of the house using the porch.

'Absolutely not.' she shook her head and he laughed.

Once they reached the tractor, Fitz helped boost her up on it then brought himself up and sat behind her just as they did the previous night. He handed her the key and let her turn the engine on and it started with a roar. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed down on the gas.

'Where are we going?' she asked curiously as he pressed his chin on her shoulder.

'Just keep straight. Patience is a virtue.' he laughed.

'Virtue? Tis' but a fig.' she playfully scoffed.

'Are you going to be a literary nerd 24/7?' he asked with a frisky groan.

'No. I have to sleep at some point.' she smirked. 'Are you always going to always squeal when someone mentions something about hybrid fruits?'

'No.' he defended. 'You're so mean to me. You're the meanest little woman I know.' he grumbled and placed a chaste kiss on her shoulder and she laughed.

After riding for a few minutes, she got the hang of steering. 'Faster.' she requested with a grin.

Fitz laughed softly before pressing down on the gas a little harder. 'This good?'

'Mhm.' she smiled and nodded her head contently, thoroughly impressed with herself. 'Sure you don't want to tell me where we're going?'

'To the nursery.' he sighed, finally giving in to her impatience. 'You know, they say curiosity killed the cat.'

'But satisfaction brought it back.' she retorted with a grin on her face.

'Here we go..' he groaned again but couldn't help but smile. He would listen to her talk all day even if it was just snarky literary comebacks.

'You shouldn't have said it.' she giggled as they approached the large barn. She removed her hands from the steering wheel and Fitz turned the ignition off and hopped down after grabbing the duffle bag that had been draped on the back of the seat.

After pushing the bag on his shoulder, he held his arms open for her, waiting for her to jump. Olivia turned her body so her feet would dangle off the side and he smiled reassuringly at her. He longed for the day she would jump with no hesitation.

'Ready?' she asked softly, looking down at him.

'Always.' he nodded his head. 'I promise I won't let you fall.'

Olivia nodded her head and took a breath before jumping down into his arms, smiling as he caught her and put her on her on her feet. He allowed her to get her balance before letting go of her waist and leading her into the barn.

'What's in here?' she asked curiously. Fitz took her hand and led her near the back to find two small calves, one brown and the other black. He reached in the bag and handed her a large bottle.

'How do I do it?' she held the bottle up and both the calves walked over to her, ready to eat. The brown one used its neck to push the other out of the way, trying to get to the bottle first. Olivia was clearly intimidated and took a small step back from them but they just followed.

After walking backwards a few more steps, they both sped up a little, trying to reach her. She yelped and kept backing away from them. They practically chased her around the barn before he managed to grab her by the arm, puling her to him. He stood behind her and held her in place, steadying her arm with the bottle in it.

'Just hold it down. They'll suckle off of it.' he explained softly. 'Just stay calm.'

He held her close to his body as the calves approached them. Olivia slightly whimpered as they sniffed at her outstretched hand and Fitz was trying his best not to laugh. Olivia's hand were slightly shaking as one of the black calve took the nipple of the bottle in its mouth and began drinking from it. Once she got the hang of it, Fitz let her go and pulled the other bottle out to feed the brown on who was hungrily mooing.

'What's their names?' she mumbled as if talking too loud would disturb the calf.

'They don't have names. Why don't you do it?' he smiled over at her while rubbing the calves head.

'Really?' she smiled weakly, now following his lead and hesitantly petting the baby bovine.

'Ya. I'm horrible at it.' he grinned. 'The one you're feeding is a boy and I have the girl.'

'Well, she looks like a Dahlia to me.' she gestured towards her.

'Dahlia.' he repeated. 'I agree. I can see it.'

'And this little guy pushed poor sweet Dahlia out of the way when you gave me the bottle.' she poked her lip out cutely and thought for a few moments. 'His name is going to be Bully.'

'Bully and Dahlia. I like it.' he nodded and smiled, admiring how quickly she took to their activities.

After the calves had been fed, they got back on the tractor and went back to the house. They both took her shoes off and set them at the door then went to wash their hands in separate bathroom sinks. They met back up in the living room.

'Why don't I fire up the grill and we eat?' he asked as he took his hat off then took hers and hung them up on the rack near the front door.

It seemed like a small gesture but it meant something to Olivia. The hat she had been wearing all day had been put away in his closet but now he was putting it on the rack next to his. He expected her to come back and wear it so he kept it out for her.

Well, she didn't know if he saw it that way but it definitely seemed that way to her.

'Sounds good.' she nodded as she smoothed down her hair.

Fitz walked into the kitchen and got out the meat out that he had been defrosting and a few other ingredients then walked outside while Olivia stayed inside and watched tv. After 20 minutes of Hell's Kitchen, Olivia started missing his presence. She went to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator then made her way outside to the front porch where the grill was.

He smiled at the sight of her. They had been outside in the hot sun but yet she was so effortlessly beautiful. She had tied her ponytail up into a bun at the top of her head and rolled up the fabric of her jeans, making cuffs.

'Hi.' she smiled and held out the bottle of water for him.

'Hi.' he took her hand instead and pulled her closer to him and kissed her hairline. 'The food is almost ready.'

'What are we eating?' she wrapped her arms around his waist, glancing at the grill.

'I made some ribs and some hamburgers and-' he pulled out a compartment underneath the top part of the grill. 'I have some mac and cheese baking underneath. And-' he added pointedly. 'I have some homemade ice-cream in the freezer.'

'You're a chef, too? Is there anything you can't do?'

'Would you believe I'm a terrible singer?'

'That makes two of us.' they both laughed.

Fitz's phone began buzzing in his back pocket, alerting him that someone was trying to get into the gate. He pulled it out with his free hand, eyebrows furrowed.

'Hm. I wasn't expecting any company today. Why don't you go inside and get us some plates? We can eat out on the porch and I'll take care of whoever it is at the gate.'

'Alright.' she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek and headed inside to get the plates.

Fitz opened the gate using his phone and waited for whoever it was to pull up. He rolled his eyes when he saw a brown car come up with the words 'Sherif's Department' on the side. Usually he wouldn't mind people popping in to say hello but today the only person he wanted to see was inside his house.

Sheriff Ballard got out of the car and grinned as he came up the stairs of the porch. He was dressed in his uniform, his gold badge hanging from a metal necklace around his neck. 'I see you're cooking. Forget to invite me?'

Jake and Fitz met years ago when Fitz would spend his summers visiting his grandfather in Knights Ferry. While they were close when they were younger, Jake had changed over the years. While he still considered him a friend, Fitz really didn't want him there right then.

'No, I didn't forget. I just have company today.' he said matter of factly as he turned the grill down.

'I had a feeling you hadn't gotten a BMW.' he gestured back to Olivia's car. He hadn't gotten a chance to see it the first day they met. 'I've never seen that car around here. Who's is it?'

'My companies.' he said kind of defensively. 'Jake can we just talk later? I'm kind of busy right now.'

'This must be somebody special. I want to meet her.' he grinned and sat down in one of the rocking chairs.

'I never said it was a 'she'.'

'But it obviously is if you're acting like this.' he reached over and grabbed a rib and took a bite out of it. 'You and Mellie finally getting together?'

Fitz sighed. 'Jake, this is really a bad time.'

'Alright, alright.' he stood up to leave. 'I wanted to tell you there were some kids caught playing around in your field last night. They tried hopping the fence into Ms. Bee's yard but then ended up knocking it over. I stood it back up but you should probably reinforce it.'

'Thanks, now bye.' Fitz said, gesturing to the stairs leading off the porch.

Just as Jake was getting ready to walk off, Olivia came out of the front door, plates in hand. He was the first thing she saw as she opened the door.

'Jake?'


	3. Fireflies and Pillowforts

So shout out to the guest reviewer that says that they go to Ole Miss. I'm personally a tiger but its nice to hear from somebody else from Mississippi lol. Enjoy and tell me what you think!

* * *

'Jake?' there was venom in her voice as her eyes laid on him. She had barely thought about their date since she had been with Fitz but this definitely brought it back to mind. Her knuckles turned lighter as she clenched down on the plates in her hands. Why was he even here? And why hadn't she heard from him?

'Olivia? What are you doing here?' he asked, his voice cracking. He shifted his weight backwards as he took her in. She was the last person he was expecting to see at Fitz's house today.

'You two know each other?' Fitz looked between them, now slightly confused. Olivia had done hardly anything but smile since they had been together so the ugly frown she was making now was definitely a new sight.

'We've met before.' she spat out, her eyes never leaving Jake. She inhaled sharply, realizing that dealing with Jake in front of Fitz probably wasn't the best plan. 'He's actually the first person I met when I made it to Knights Ferry.'

'Ya, um. I should go.' Jake said suddenly before nearly running down the stairs and getting into his car and driving off.

Olivia shook her head and handed Fitz the plates she had grabbed from the inside. She stood beside him and watched as he prepared them, her hands slightly shaking. She was angry and felt rejected but she wasn't hurt. She didn't allow people to hurt her that easily.

'So how do you guys know each other?' he asked curiously, even though he already had a feeling what their connection was.

'Remember when I got stood up the other night?'

'It was Jake?' he cocked an eyebrow as he put food on both plates then handed her hers.

'Ya.' she shrugged her shoulders then took the plate, her mood now dampened. They moved to the rocking chairs on the porch and she sat back in her seat, her bare feet not even touching the deck as she rested her plate on her lap. Even when she wasn't trying to be, Olivia was still the cutest thing he had ever seen in his life.

The silence between them lingered. This wasn't the first time they had been together and neither of them said a word but now it was slightly awkward. It was uncomfortable silence and Fitz really didn't want their unwanted visitor to ruin what was left of their evening.

'Olivia-'

'It's ok.' she disconnected his sentence, already knowing what he was about to say. 'It's just the feeling of rejection, you know? I just want to know why I wasn't good enough.'

Fitz's eyebrows raised 'You think you weren't good enough for him? Jake?' Fitz couldn't help but laugh at the thought. 'Olivia, anybody would be lucky to have you.'

'But-'

'But,' he cut her off but spoke softly. 'Jake is an asshole. He always has been and probably always will be. I'm not sure why he didn't show up for your date but he's kind of a playboy around here. Jake, he.. He gets around. You were something new and he went after you.'

'Does this usually work for him? Dating all the women in town, I mean.'

'Surprisingly yes.' he shook his head, showing his disapproval.

'So basically, I fell into his trap?' she looked down into her lap, studying her food and pushing it around with her fork. How could she let herself fall into that so easily? Usually her gut would tell her if somebody was up to no good but it obviously failed her when she chose to trust Jake.

'Almost.' he said softly. 'You almost fell into his trap.' he reached over and picked her head back up.

'I think I got stuck in another one.' she mumbled, her lips slightly turning up into the smile that he was growing to love.

'That's the plan.' he grinned and kissed her forehead and they both went back to eating their food.

They sat on the porch for another half hour, talking about everything and nothing at the same time while rocking back and fourth in their chairs. After a little while, some of Fitz's dogs roamed to the front yard and came up on the porch, begging for attention.

'Why do you have so many dogs?' she asked, happily petting a German Shepard and a Labrador Retriever at the same type.

'Well, its kinda a long story but I'll shorten it. I started off with 2 hunting dogs, Una and Uno,' he gestured over to two Beagles sunbathing on their backs further down the porch. 'then they started bringing strays home. I've never been good at saying no to a cute face and now I have 10 dogs.' he laughed at how crazy it sounded then playfully shook the face of a Border Collie. 'Plus, I've always loved animals. The more the merrier.'

Olivia groaned internally. He was well educated, could cook, handsome, and compassionate to top it all off. This was definitely too good to be true. After a few more minutes, she spoke up again.

'I'm about to ask you something but don't take it the wrong way.' she turned her attention away from the dogs and over to him.

He studied her for a moment then nodded. 'Go ahead.'

'Why are you single?' she cocked her head to the side.

He couldn't help but to burst into laughter. Olivia's eyebrows furrowed and he could see her genuine curiosity so he calmed himself down so he could answer her question.

'Honestly, I don't believe in dating just to date. If I don't feel a natural spark with someone, then I don't see the point in pursuing it. Why are you single?'

Olivia sat back in her seat. She wasn't expecting the question to be thrown back at her. 'I want..' she thought for a moment before speaking again. 'I want painful, devastating, life-changing, extraordinary love. I want something so beautiful that it blinds me.'

'Why does it have to be painful?' he raised his eyebrows.

'You only allow certain people to hurt you.' she turned away from his gaze and went back to one of the dogs who was now pawing at her lap. 'If he can't hurt me, then I probably never loved him.' she leaned forward towards the dog who proceeded to lick her face and she giggled softly.

'And you haven't found those things in anybody?'

'Not yet.' she said softly, trying to keep her words in. She wanted to tell him right then and there that she thinks she had found it in him. Not wanting to push him, she kept her thoughts to herself.

They sat in silence for the next 10 minutes and the dogs dispersed back into the yard to play with one another. They watched on as they wrestled and nipped at each other.

'I once heard a song.' Olivia finally spoke up, breaking their silence. 'It was a long time ago and I don't really remember who sang it but it says, "Just like the movies, that's how it should be, cinematic and dramatic with the perfect ending"'.

'But movie love isn't real love.' he commented shaking his head, ever the realist.

'Yes, it is.' she smirked. 'The characters may not be real but the love is. Writers spend hours and hours trying to come up with the perfect love story for two of the most imperfect people in the world. Their love is real to somebody because if not, it wouldn't exist.'

He sat his elbow on the arm of his chair and rested his head in his palm. He thought about what she said then smiled. 'So you want something like the movies?'

'That's the plan.' she nodded, now returning his smile. 'If stars don't align, if it doesn't stop time, if you can't see the sign, wait for it.' she recited some of the song lyrics while looking into his eyes. Their distance was killing her inside. She needed something more.

Deciding to push her luck, she stood from her chair and moved over to him and sat in his lap. He sat back, curious as to what her next move would be. Olivia looked deeply into his steel blue eyes and knew one thing for sure. Whatever love was and however it felt, she wanted it with him.

She placed her hands on either side of his lightly fuzzed face and leaned into him slowly to make her intentions absolutely clear. He wrapped his arms around her teeny waist and met her halfway as their lips pressed against the other's.

In all reality, it was way too hot outside to be clinging together but neither of them cared. The scorching sun was a non-factor as their tongues sought refuge in each other's mouths. One of Fitz's hands moved from her waist and slowly up her back until it found the nape of her neck, now pulling her closer to him.

Olivia found herself lost once again as he kissed her. It was as if he was doing it on purpose. Like he knew the inside of her mouth so perfectly, he could make all coherent thought leave her mind. She let out a pleasured moan and that seemed to encourage him even more. Fitz would never tire of hearing _that_ sound from her. He didn't know how many other people had had the pleasure of hearing it but as of today, he wanted to be the last.

She wanted him to touch her elsewhere, her body feeling as if it may crumble apart if his hands didn't explore some of her more delicate areas. Olivia didn't push the matter. If he needed time, then she would happily give it to him. He could have all the time he needed as long as she could wait by his side. In that moment, they were both thinking the exact same thing.

 _Mine._

* * *

Olivia sat in the living room, absentmindedly playing a game on her phone and waiting for him to return. It had been the purest form of agony to peel herself off of him an hour ago on the front porch. Their kissing never got heated or lustful but it was still amazing nonetheless. Fitz had a way of making her whole entire body ache without even touching her.

When all 10 dogs started barking and running up and down the stairs of the porch, they both realized that something must have been wrong. Fitz knew they needed something but paid them little to no attention as he played Olivia like a tuned violin. It wasn't until Uno and Una started pulling at his pants leg that he finally decided to stand up.

She followed him back into the house and watched as he put his boots back on then grabbed a shotgun out of the front closet in the living room. He didn't do it purposely but he was turning her on in ways she couldn't even imagine. He grabbed the set of keys that went to his 4 wheeler and put them down in his pocket. Before walking out the front door, he kissed her softly.

'Wait for me. I'll be right back.' he mumbled as he gently rubbed his lips against hers.

'I'll be here.' she smiled and kissed him once more before letting him go.

It was now half an hour later and he still hadn't returned. Olivia had washed dishes and put away their leftovers in his wide refrigerator. She had the idea to call Abbey until he got back but decided against it once she realized all the questions she would ask.

She stood from the couch and walked over to the other side of the living room where his study area was. Olivia gently ran her fingers over the spines of some of his books and realized that they were mostly things about farming and animals. She noticed green tabs sticking out of most of the books and she opened one of them entitled "Veterinary Anatomy: Domesticated" and went straight to the tabs. She analyzed the words on the page until she realized that the book had referenced some research he had done. On the sides of each page were notes that he had taken about the text. She gently returned the book back to his shelf then sat behind his desk.

Olivia curiously opened the laptop that sat on the walnut wood desk that matched the bookshelves. It unlocked with no password required and she saw that his screensaver was a picture of him and what she had to assume was his brother and sister together. Unable to fight her curiosity, she clicked on the Safari icon at the bottom to open the internet and saw that he had been shopping for hunting supplies online. She smirked and shook her head and minimized the page, revealing his previous Google search of her. Slightly snickering, she browsed through his web history, curious to see what he had read.

One of the blogs that caught her eye was called 'Tractor Beams and Beauty', obviously stolen from the article she did years ago, and was composed of countless pictures of her. Some were normal, from award shows and public events, but some were pictures she hadn't even seen before. Pictures of her eating pizza on vacation in Brazil last year with her friends, a few of her pumping gas, and even a few of her at her studio doing yoga. Her nose crinkled slightly. She didn't like to think of herself as 'famous', but its moments like these that really reminded her of her profession.

The people commenting on this blog seemed to be a lot more interested discussing her looks rather than her books. She knew there were people out there who admired her beauty, she wasn't blind, but she had always ignored them. While she didn't mind the comments, it made her uncomfortable to know that Fitz had at least skimmed through them.

She couldn't stop people from talking about her physical appearance, that would be impossible, but she wondered if Fitz would be able to handle that. Outside of Knights Ferry, she had to deal with fans and the occasional paparazzi or unwanted lustful stare and she didn't know if he could take it.

It seemed unfair to put him through all of that. He was a nice guy and he deserved a bit of normal and he could probably have that if he dated some girl from around here. They could live a comfortable life in Knights Ferry and have a few babies and she'd probably work with him on the farm and they could be happy. A shiver ran up then down her spine when she pictured Fitz with somebody else then she shut his laptop. That was enough web surfing for now. She didn't know how much longer it would take him to get back so she decided to get a nap in. Making her way over to the sectional again, she laid down on her stomach and refreshed her emails before shutting her eyes.

It was dark by the time Fitz returned back to the house. He walked on the front porch and sighed with relief when he realized that she had already cleaned the grill and put the food up. He had planned to take her out to the lake so they could watch the sunset but they had missed it.

He walked into the house to find the lights were off. During the day, the windows provided enough natural light but since the sun had gone down, it was dark. He saw her car was still outside so he knew she was still there. Assuming she had gone to take a shower or freshen up, he held the blanket he had to his chest then moved to the kitchen. He turned the light out and it illuminated the room, lightly shining in on the living room.

It wasn't until then that he could see her laying down on the couch, facing towards the cushions. He chuckled lowly at the sight and decided to let her nap for a little while longer. Fitz placed the blanket he had down on the kitchen counter and unwrapped it carefully, revealing a small Yorkshire Terrier who was shivering and shaking.

'Shh.' he soothed and lightly rubbed behind his ears. He didn't own any small dogs but there was no way in the world he could have left the little guy behind today. After feeding the dog and checking him out, Fitz estimated that he was only a year or so old and he seemed to be well taken care of. Since staying in the area, he realized that people tended to abandon their dogs in the woods beside his house when they couldn't take care of them anymore.

Fitz put the small dog down on the floor and watched it as it tried its best to roam around the hardwood. He needed a good bath from walking around the woods but he decided to let him get adjusted to his surroundings before pouring water all over him. From the kitchen, he could see Olivia slightly stir in her sleep and he hoped they weren't waking her.

He had been able to watch her sleep twice now and he didn't know how something as normal as resting could be so beautiful. Olivia slept with her lips slightly parted but you couldn't tell unless you were beside her. She rested the weight of her head on her arm, always the right one from what he noticed, and she kept her legs crossed primly at her knees. Even the way that her chest lifted and fell as she breathed seemed to make his heart flutter.

Fitz hadn't planned on losing such much time today but he knew how to make up for it. If she wanted something like the movies, then he was going to give that to her. Right after the dog got a bath, though. He took his boots back off and padded softly to the living room. Kneeling by the couch, he had second thoughts about waking her. They went away after he thought about his plans for the night.

'Olivia.' he said softly. He placed his hand on her arm to shake her but decided on something better. Starting at her elbow, he kissed a trail of kisses up her arm until she stirred in her sleep. She yawned and rolled over, now laying on her back.

'Fitz?' she still had her eyes shut.

'Mhm. Come here, I want you to meet someone.' he smiled before standing up straight and helping her up.

Fitz lead her into the kitchen to find the dog nervously standing on the blanket Fitz had brought him in. She gasped softly and covered her mouth before slowly approaching the pup. Olivia held her hand out to him as a silent offering and he cautiously licked her fingertips.

'Is this what the dogs wanted?'

'Yep. I think they went out exploring and found him out in the woods. He probably was just dropped off earlier today or so.' he stood, watching on lovingly as she moved carefully around the dog.

'Dropped off? What do you mean dropped off?' she petted underneath the dog's chin and looked back at Fitz, her eyebrows now furrowed.

'Sometimes people get tired of dogs or they cant take care of them anymore and they just get dropped off in the woods.'

'But.. He's so little. He would've died out there in the sun if something didn't get him first.' she frowned deeply at the thought.

'Well, then it's a good thing that the dogs found him.' he smiled back at her, trying to lift her mood and show her the positive side.

'You're going to keep him, aren't you?' she asked concernedly.

'Of course. He's family now.' he scooped the dog up then used his other hand to help her stand up off the floor. 'But he needs a bath and a name so why don't we do that then get some dinner?'

'Alright.' she nodded and smiled, wrapping her arm around his waist as they walked to one of the spare bathrooms upstairs. Usually Fitz would bathe the dogs outside with soap and a hose but this little guy needed special attention.

When they made it to the bathroom, he turned the water on and handed the dog to Olivia. She held him close to her chest while Fitz went to go get some shampoo and some old towels. When he returned, the dog was licking her hand and begging her for the attention she was giving him.

Once they stopped the water, Olivia slowly lowered him down into the tub and he started whimpering and trying to jump out. She poked her lip out and turned to Fitz, both of them on their knees beside each other.

'I don't think he likes it very much.'

'Well, we'll make it quick.' he kissed her protruding bottom lip then poured some shampoo on his hands while Olivia held the dog down in the water and rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. After the bath was over, the dog shook water off, splashing them.

Olivia gasped and laughed and shielded her face with her arms as water got everywhere.

'You little brat.' Fitz snickered and took the towel and picked the dog up and held him close to keep him warm. Olivia let the water out of the tub and they went back to the living room. Fitz checked the time and saw that it was already 7 and knew they needed to go soon if he wanted things to go as he planned.

He gave the dog back to Olivia and went to the shed to pull out a small kennel that he had laying around. He brought it back in the living room and lined it up with blankets and put an old cushion inside of it. After the bed was set up, Fitz went to the kitchen and packed up two empty glass jars and put them in a picnic basket along with two small cartons of ice-cream from his freezer. After grabbing a few more supplies, he put his boots on and grabbed her shoes and came back inside the living room where they were sitting.

'Why don't you put him up for a little while?'

Olivia stood from the couch, her lip poked out again as she held him tightly to her chest. 'We're going to leave him alone?'

'Just for a little while. He deserves a good nap and he probably won't get that if we're coddling him for the next couple hours.' he smirked put Olivia's shoes on the floor next to her and took the dog and carefully put him in the kennel and shut it up.

The dog began to whine as they walked out of the door but he reassured her that he'd be ok and led her out the door. Fitz took her out to the 4-wheeler that he had parked outside from earlier and she got in behind him, clinging to his waist.

'Shouldn't we have on helmets or something?' she asked, her grip tightening as he turned the engine on.

'It'll be fine.' he promised as he pressed down on the gas and they started moving forward. Deciding not to scare her half to death, Fitz took it slow until they reached the pond that was on the property. He parked them beside it and smiled.

'That wasn't so bad now, was it?' he got off and offered her his hand.

'Yes. It was terrible.' she grabbed his outstretched hand and got out of the seat.

He laid out a blue tarp on the wet ground then put a blanket on top it and they both sat down. Fitz had pulled the ice-cream out of the basket along with a small lantern and he set it between them. He checked his watch once more and saw that it was almost time so he hurriedly handed her a small carton and a spoon.

'What's out here, Fitz?' the way the pond reflected the moon was definitely a beautiful sight but she knew there had to have been something special out here for him to bring her. She popped the top off of her ice-cream.

'Give it a few minutes.' he smiled and pulled the two empty mason jars and sat them by their feet.

Olivia took a bite out of her frozen dessert and groaned loudly. 'You made this yourself?'

'Yep. It was my grandmother's recipe.' he smiled proudly as he took a bite of his.

'She was a brilliant woman.' she commented appreciably before taking another bite.

By 7:45, their dessert was finished and they were looking out on the lake quietly. Soon after, they started to hear buzzing and lights started glowing around them and she realized that they must have been fireflies. She picked up one of the jars and grinned over at him.

'You're such a romantic, Dr. Grant.' she stood up from the blanket and popped the top off of the glass container slightly.

'Is it working?' he smirked and stood to his feet and grabbed his jar. They spent the next few minutes catching bugs and Olivia poked her lip out when she noticed he had more than she did. She held her jar up next to his.

'You got more than I did.'

'Well, we cant have that, can we?' he smiled and switched jars with her and took a step closer.

'I guess you want something in return for your kindness.' she held her prize tightly to her chest, tilting her neck up to look at him.

'And what is it that you have that I may possibly want?' he grinned lopsidedly and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

'I suppose I don't have anything to offer except a very gracious 'Thank You.'' she returned his expression and he playfully growled.

'There's one other thing.' he took her jar from her and put both of them down on the blanket before taking her back into his arms.

'I have absolutely no clue.' her body relaxed against his and she smiled coyly at him.

With a smirk, Fitz hoisted her up by her waist and took her lips. Olivia gently kicked her legs, wanting to be put back down, but he ignored her protests. She settled herself soon and let his lips overtake her silent complaints.

This was nice. Of course it wasn't the most expensive date Olivia had ever been on. She had been wined and dined at 5 star restaurants, attended private concerts in people's beach houses, and had been whisked away on private jets to remote islands. All of those things were good but none of it felt as sincere as Fitz's plans.

Jake walked into James' Place expecting to see Fitz there with his usual cup of scotch. While he didn't drink often enough to frequent the bar, he knew exactly where to find his friend after a hard day of work. Jake knew he'd be wrong to ask Fitz to back off of Olivia but he was going to anyway. He hadn't even gotten a chance with her.

His eyebrows raised when he looked over to the bar and didn't see Fitz hunched over a cup. Jake was hoping that maybe they would just have dinner then Olivia would go back to her place but obviously she was still with him if Fitz wasn't at the bar. He walked over to where James was standing and pouring a drink and sat in Fitz's usual seat.

'Let me get a beer, James.' he reached into his back pocket and pulled his wallet out and slid him a $5 bill.

'Sure thing, Sheriff.' James nodded and took the bill and stuck it in the cash register before getting another glass.

'Hey there, Jakey.' Mellie grinned, coming from the back kitchen and wiping her hands on her apron. 'Shocking to see you here.'

'Ya.' he nodded in her direction. 'I came here looking for Fitz.'

'Well, he hasn't come by here tonight.' James said while sliding him his drink. 'You have any idea where he is?' he asked, concerned. Fitz was one of his favorite regulars and it definitely seemed strange not to have him here tonight.

Jake groaned. 'I think I may have a clue.'

'Where is he?' Mellie cocked her head to the side, now genuinely curious.

'I went by his place earlier today and he was entertaining some.. Company.'

'Company?' James asked as he moved a little further down the bar to hand somebody else a beer.

'Olivia Pope. The new lady in town.' he shook his head.

The scowl that overtook Mellie's face was unmistakable. She was absolutely furious. 'Where were they?'

'At Fitz's place.' he said impatiently. He wasn't usually a snappy person but he had gotten frustrated.

'What!?' Mellie shrieked loudly. 'They were at his house?'

'Yep.' Jake nodded, taking another sip of his beer.

'Now Mellie, you cant get upset because he went out on a date. He's a grown man.' James tempted to reason with her. He liked Fitz and would love for him to marry his daughter but he had made it obvious that he simply just was not interested in her. He just wished she'd give it up and go out with some of the other men who were constantly begging for her attention.

'Oh I'm absolutely furious!' she snarled. 'I've been trying to get him to go out with me for years and she waltzes in here and gets an invitation to his house after a week!'

James sighed and shook his head and continued cleaning out a glass in his hands. He wished his wife hadn't left them all those years ago. Mellie needed some type of guiding light and obviously he wasn't good enough to be it.

'I could kill whatever asshole stood her up the other night.' Mellie growled as she angrily washed out a shot glass. Jake's head immediately dropped to his lap and she put the pieces together quickly. 'It was you, wasn't it Jake?'

'Yes.' he grumbled.

'Why, Sheriff?' James asked now leaning over the bar.

Jake sighed. 'The plan was to not show up but I was going to make up a story about how I saved some kid from a burning building or helped a bunch of old people cross the street. I wanted to come out of it looking like a hero. I didn't think anybody would scoop her up before I got to see her again.'

Mellie studied Jake for a moment, the look on her face sincere for a few moments before it turned to rage once more. 'That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life! You're ruining it for the both of us you idiot!'

'Mellie! You cant talk to the Sheriff that way!' James chastised but Mellie hadn't heard a word he said.

'You don't think I know I fucked up?' he glared at Mellie then turned his attention back to James. 'Let me get something a little stronger than this beer. I need something else.'

'Wait a minute.' a man named Larry said from beside them. 'Fitz had the new lady in town over at his place and he didn't show up to the bar? You know what they must be up to then.' the man said with a grin, making Jake and Mellie gag.

Larry grabbed his drink then walked over to where his friends Moe and Curly were playing darts in the corner. 'Did you guys hear about Fitz and the new lady? They're at his place knocking boots as we speak.'

'You're joking!' Curly scoffed as he tossed a dart into the board.

'Dead serious. Sheriff Ballard saw them today looking pretty cozy. You know Fitz comes here every afternoon when he gets done with his work. Notice he's not here tonight?' Larry asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

'I wish I could get a piece of that ass.' Moe groaned loudly. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and sighed. 'I gotta go, guys. Wife needs me back at home.'

'Grow some balls.' Curly rolled his eyes.

Moe threw him the middle finger then got in his truck and went home to find his wife playing with their baby. 'Did you hear? Fitz and that new lady in town are getting it on.'

His wife rolled her eyes. 'I knew some city girl wouldn't be able to keep her legs closed for more than a few months.' she stood from the chair she was sitting in and gave Moe the baby. She walked back to her bedroom and grabbed her phone and called her friend, telling her all about what her husband had told her.

Her friend, Polly, ran into her living room where her husband and teenage son were sitting. 'That hussy new girl has seduced Fitz to have sex with her. What a little Jezebel.' she scoffed, her attention mainly on her husband. She didn't notice their teenage son, Max sneak out of the living room and go to his room.

Max called his best friends and put them on a 3way call. 'So I hear Dr. Grant and that new lady Ms. Pope have been getting it on.' he said smugly, glad he could share the news.

'That lucky son of a bitch.' one of the boys groaned. 'I saw her getting her mail the other day in some yoga pants. Her ass is so perfect.'

'I can top that.' the other boy said matter of factly. 'I saw her actually doing yoga today through her backyard fence. Could you imagine all the positions she could be in?'

Max got another call and said his goodbyes to his two friends then got on the line with his girlfriend. 'Dr. Grant and the new lady are fucking and I heard he put her in all types of positions.'

'Max, are you serious?' she asked, mouth agape. 'How do you know?'

'I just know, Shannon!'

'Hold on! Let me call Jenny!' Shannon hung up the phone from Max and called her best friend. 'Dr. Grant and Olivia Pope are officially an item!' she squealed loudly into her receiver.

'Oh my God, that's so cute. I bet they're fucking adorable. How do you know?'

'Max saw them having sex.' she said matter of factly, stretching the truth to meet her needs. 'And he said that she can really stretch if you know what I mean.'

'I told you we should try yoga!' Jenny yelled. 'He better not distract her from her writing! I need a new book like, yesterday. Let me call and tell Sarah the news.'

After another hour or so, everybody in town had heard something a little different about the intimate details of Fitz and Olivia's sex life.

* * *

After they had their fill of kisses, Olivia and Fitz laid back down on the blanket, now looking up at the night sky in a contended silence. Feeling the need to be closer, she laid her head on his shoulder and tucked herself securely into his side. She had never felt so safe in her life.

'What's that one, Fitz?' she pointed upward to the sky and closed her right eye, trying to pinpoint the exact spot.

'Would you believe I know absolutely nothing about stars? I just made up some stuff.' he grinned at her teasingly.

Olivia gasped and sat up then swatted at his chest. 'Fitz!'

'Kidding, kidding. Come back down here, beautiful.' he pulled her back down and gave her a moment to settle back in. 'Now, point it out to me again.'

'That one.' she pointed to it again.

'Ursa Major. And if you look over just a little bit more, you'll see Ursa Minor.'

'How do you know all this stuff?'

'When I was younger, my grandparents stayed here on this very ranch. I would spend my summers here and my grandfather would teach me everything he knew. We talked about stars, about animals, about the growth patterns of grass.' he chuckled softly at the memory. 'When he started getting older, nobody would've been here to take care of this old place.'

'So you did.' she added, completing his thought.

'Exactly. I left my family behind in DC and started wearing cowboy boots and now here I am.' he grinned.

'So what do your parents do in DC?'

'Dads into politics and mom is the most prestigious trophy wife of Georgetown.' he tugged her closer to his body and ran small circles on her bare arm. 'My sister likes to live the life of a spoiled brat but brother wants to move here with me.' he rolled his eyes at the thought.

'Why'd you roll your eyes? That doesn't sound fun?' she smirked.

'No.' he shook his head. 'Teddy is a bit.. I'm not sure how to describe him. He thinks its all fun and games here but it's not. I mean I run the farm but I still do a lot of research, too. Testing out soil levels for the crops and ideal dietary needs for animals. He just wants to wear a cowboy hat all day.'

'So basically he would just act like your annoying little brother?' she gingerly teased. Fitz's jaw had slightly clenched since talking about his family so she extended her neck slightly to place a soothing kiss on it. He immediately relaxed afterwards.

'I guess. So, what about your family?'

'Both of my parents are doctors so you could just imagine their dismay when I chose to write over going to medical school.'

'But you're successful. You're on every best seller list in the country. Aren't they proud of you?'

'Not really. Well, maybe. They never really came to terms with the fact that I rejected the family profession. Luckily for me, all of my siblings went into it so family dinners aren't that awkward. They all just talk about rectal cancer or something at the table and don't acknowledge me.'

'How many siblings do you have?'

'There's 5 of us and I'm the baby.' she grinned.

'Geez, Liv. Your parents were really getting it on.'

'Ew.' she playfully nudged him. 'Anyway, none of them wanted me to publish my book and I almost didn't. They were mortified when a publisher picked me up.'

'What made you want to publish it?'

'My best friend, Abbey. She went through my personal belongings and found some of my writing and she begged me to do it. My friends have been my only support system through this whole process. My family comes to awards banquets and those types of things but I don't think I've spoken to anyone since..' she trailed off, trying to calculate the time. 'Christmas I think. And it's April now.'

Fitz frowned at what she was saying. He and his family didn't have the best relationship but he could never imagine somebody treating their own flesh and blood so harshly. 'They don't try and reach out to you?'

'Sometimes they post things on Facebook. They all went on vacation in February. My invitation got lost in the mail.' she laughed humorlessly. 'I don't even think they know that I'm staying here. My parents don't even own a copy of my books.' she laughed again but this time it was to keep from crying. She had definitely struck one of her own nerves and internally chastised herself for talking too much.

This wasn't something that she did often. Only certain people knew about her family situation and she tried her best to keep it that way. When she did see her family, it was usually during public appearances and nobody ever suspected a thing because if nothing else, they knew how to put up a show for the camera.

A single tear streamed down the side of Olivia's face and Fitz sprang straight into action. There would be no more tears for the night. He used his strength to shift her small frame until she was laying on top of him, now chest to chest. He had no clue what to say to her to make her feel better so he just held her tightly. He waited for her to say something or to burst with tears but instead, she just snuggled herself into his chest as if he was some type of security blanket.

'Olivia.' he spoke softly. 'I know that we haven't known each other long-'

'2 days.' she smiled weakly.

'Right. But I want you to know something. This connection I feel between us is unmistakable and I hope you feel it, too. I'm not going anywhere. If you need a person, I'll be your person.'

'I'm sorry for bringing you in on my drama. Sometimes I talk a little too much.' she sighed.

'No, don't apologize for that.' his tone was serious. 'You were opening up and letting me in and I want you to do that. I want you to let me in. Tell me more. Please?'

Olivia pushed herself up and supported herself on her hands that were now on either side of his shoulders. She needed to look him in the eyes if they were going to go on any further. Usually, the thought of being vulnerable around anybody was farfetched, but here she was about to lay all her cards on the table.

'I love them. They just push me out. I tried the whole pre-med thing but it just wasn't for me. I was utterly miserable. I just hope that one day when I have kids of my own, if I have kids of my own.. I want to nurture whatever spirit they have. I want them to pursue anything they think may be interesting. I want to be a different type of parent than what my parents were. If they want to be clowns, then I'll buy the noses, if they want to be lion tamers, I'll get a better insurance policy.' she laughed softly at her joke.

Fitz smiled up at her sincerely, happy she was smiling again. He moved his hands to cup the soft skin of her cheeks and pulled her back down to him. Their kisses started off soft as feathers, as they normally did, until his tongue started searching for hers and her lips opened, inviting him in. She didn't know how he managed to do it every time but here she was again, a whimpering mess.

After another hour or so of looking at stars and talking about much lighter subjects and kissing, they could feel a slight drizzle starting to fall. Fitz got up and packed up what they had brought then they got back on the 4 wheeler. By the time they made it to the house, it was pouring down raining. Fitz went to go park the vehicle in one of the sheds while Olivia went in the house and sat down in the sectional in the living room. It was starting to get kind of late and she knew she should be leaving soon but she really didn't want to.

Another disadvantage of staying in Knights Ferry was the isolation. Back in Sacramento, Abbey stayed in the apartment right across from hers, her friends Elizabeth and Quinn stayed downstairs, and Harrison and his wife stayed a few blocks away. She always had somebody over at her apartment or she was always visiting somebody else.

Fitz was the only person in town she would consider a 'friend'. Honestly, she didn't know what to call them. They hadn't known each other long enough to be in the boyfriend/girlfriend stage, but normal 'friends' don't get the urge to make out whenever they got too close to one another.

Deciding that she didn't want to intrude on his personal space, the best plan of action would be to go back to her place and go to bed. She stood up from the couch and waited for him to return so that she could at least say goodbye before returning to her place.

Fitz made it back inside a few minutes later and immediately took his boots off and placed them at the foot of the door. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and noticed that she was standing up and ready to go. He tried to hide his disappointment. 'Aw, leaving so soon?'

'Ya.' she smiled softly. 'It's getting pretty late.' she said, trying to convince herself of all the reasons she didn't need to spend the night at Fitz's house.

'Fine.' he sighed. 'I'll call you tomorrow.' he walked her to the front door and opened it for her.

As soon as Fitz opened the front door, it was a huge flash of lightening then a boom of thunder. Her body winced as the wooden porch slightly shook underneath their feet. She definitely didn't want to drive out in this weather but she knew it would be for the best.

'Olivia.' he said softly and took her arm in his hand. 'Why don't you stay the night? The weather is getting kinda crazy and I'd hate for you to have to drive out in it.'

Olivia studied the rain for a moment then turned back to him, her lips pursed together tightly. She was trying to play out all the scenarios in her head before she made her final decision. She had a habit of doing that but being around Fitz didn't allow her to think straight.

'I can see you thinking. Stop thinking so much. It'll be like.. It'll be like a sleepover.' he smiled nervously, awaiting her answer.

'A sleepover?' she snickered, his words bringing her out of her inner thoughts. She hadn't heard the words sleepover since high school.

'Ya.' his smile brightened at the fact that she didn't completely turn the idea down. 'It'll be fun. And we can just ride to church together in the morning.'

Olivia cringed. She hadn't stepped foot in a sanctuary in years. She always had a problem with waking up early to sit in one spot for a prolonged period of time just to listen to people talk so her parents stopped making her go when she was younger.

'When in Rome.' she said to herself.

'I guess a sleepover does sound fun.' she said softly. She handed him the keys to her car. 'I keep an emergency suitcase in my trunk. Do you mind getting it for me? Since you're already wet.' she laughed lightly and looked him up and down.

Fitz couldn't help but grin. 'Of course I'm stuck doing the grunt work. Can you make us some snacks?'

'Deal.' she nodded her head and watched him walk back out in the rain before dropping her purse back on the couch and going to the kitchen to get some snacks together for them. By this point, the dog was whimpering and clawing and trying to get out of its cage so Olivia let him out to stretch his limbs while she popped some popcorn.

Fitz came back in the house soon, dripping wet but carrying her small, rose gold bag in his arms. Olivia smirked at the sight. Here was this muscular, bulky man carrying around some dainty little suitcase. 'That really suits you, Fitz. I'll have to let you borrow the set sometime.'

'Hardy, har, har.' he kept his lips sealed to hold his laugh in and pushed his hair back on his head. He noticed that Olivia had let the dog out and shook his head. 'You're going to have him spoiled rotten if you keep this up.'

'Aw, but look at him.' Olivia picked the pup up and held him close to her chest and talked in a baby voice. 'He's so cute. He deserves to be spoiled.' she turned the dog around so that they were now eye to eye. 'Don't worry about mean ol' Fitz over there. He's cranky cause he got all wet.'

'That's enough out of you two.' he playfully huffed. 'Why don't you get ready for bed while I finish the snacks, hm?'

'Can we add a third member to our slumber party?' she asked, gesturing to the dog.

'I guess.' he grunted. 'As long as I don't have to kiss him goodnight, too.'

'Nope. Just me.' she smiled and kissed his cheek as she walked past him, grabbing her suitcase on her way up the stairs.

Olivia didn't know exactly which bedroom was Fitz's but she had to assume that it was the one with the double doors at the end of the hall. After putting the dog on the floor, she opened the suitcase and started searching for pajamas. Usually, Abbey kept it packed with 2 pairs of pajamas, a pants suit, 2 dresses, and a casual outfit. She used to think it was crazy to ride around with a miniature closet in your car but she was very thankful now.

She knew Fitz would have to shower too so she opted to use the bathroom down the hall instead of the one in the master suite. Once she was clean from the day's activities, she put on a pair tights, a fitted t-shirt, and a pair of black socks. She opened the bathroom door to let some of the steam out while she worked on pushing her hair up into a bun. After struggling for a few minutes with a stray bobby pin, she smiled at herself, proud of her work.

Fitz walked by the bathroom door just as she finished up and came inside and grabbed her hand, now tugging her out into the hall as she tried getting away from him.

'Stop.' she laughed, allowing herself to slide across the hardwood. 'I have to get my dirty clothes out.'

'Get them later.' he pulled her along with him further down the hall. 'It would be a lot easier if you actually walked.' he teased.

'Well, I like sliding around in my socks.' she said matter of factly before sticking her tongue out at him.

He playfully growled and pulled her to his body and picked her up in a fireman's hold. She laughed and kicked her feet around until they finally reached his bedroom. The light was off but he knew the room well enough to get her to the bed and toss her on it. Fitz grabbed a remote off of the dresser and pressed a button, causing the light to come on.

He had truthfully seen nothing more satisfying than Olivia in her pajamas, sitting comfortably in his oversized bed. Fitz handed her the tv remote then kissed the top of her head. 'Don't move. I'll be right back.'

She smiled and nodded her head and turned the television on and picked the dog up so he could lay out on the bed. The room was pretty big but scarcely decorated. The softness of the mattress and blankets on top threatened to make Olivia sink further down while she flipped through stations. She laid on her stomach, supporting her chin with her hands and kicking her feet back and fourth lazily while watching an episode of Archer.

Fitz emerged from the master bathroom a few minutes later, now clad in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, pushing it backwards on his head.

'What are we watching?'

'It's called Archer. It's about this guy and basically he's like a super spy.'

'It's a cartoon. Is this a kids show?' he smirked and went over to his dresser to find his deodorant.

'Give it a chance.' she whined.

Fitz walked over to where she was still laying on her stomach and looked at the bed for a moment. 'We're missing something. This is supposed to be a sleepover.'

'Ya, what happened to the snacks as I was promised?' she cocked an eyebrow.

'No, not that.' he shook his head and thought for a few moments then snapped his fingers. 'Get up for a minute.'

'What do you have in mind, Grant?' she asked, standing up from the bed and grabbing the dog and putting him in the floor.

'You'll see. Now, shoo.' he started pushing her out of the room. 'And grab the snacks from downstairs.' he quickly shut the door behind her.

Olivia couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. She was sure whatever he had planned for them for the night was going to be fun. After going back downstairs and grabbing the bowl of popcorn and sodas he left on the counter top, she walked back up to the door and knocked.

'Can I come back in now?'

'Almost!' he called out. 'Give me like 5 more minutes.'

Olivia smiled and rolled her eyes at the goofball on the other side of the door and took her phone out of the waistband of her leggings to text Abbey and tell her she'd be spending the night at Fitz's so she wouldn't worry. She checked some emails while she waited on him to get done with whatever he was doing.

Fitz came to the door 5 minutes later as he said he would and cracked it open, poking his head out. 'Alright, its ready.'

'Well, then let me in.' she smirked and put her phone back in her waistband.

'Say please.' he grinned.

'Oh my gosh.' she dramatically exhaled. 'May I please come in, Fitz?'

'You may enter.' he opened the door and moved out of her way.

Olivia nearly howled laughing at the sight before her. Fitz had taken out all the extra pillows and sheets from the linen closet in the hallway and set up a pillow fort on top of his bed. The sheets were draped over the high bedposts, hiding the bed away. It seemed childish but it made her heart swell at the fact that he took out the time to think of it.

'Oh, I have to get a picture of this.' she put the popcorn and sodas on the dresser and took her phone back out to snap a picture.

'And I only had to pull out every sheet in the linen closet.' he said smugly, proud of his handiwork. He had used one of the extra pillows to put the dog on and he was resting peacefully at the foot of the bed.

'You were right, Fitz. Our sleepover was really missing something.' she walked over to the bed and pushed their snacks through the opening he made for them then got in herself.

'I would like the title King of the Sleepovers.' he said smugly as he came and sat beside her. Since they couldn't see the tv, Fitz had his laptop on the bed so they could watch Netflix.

'The sleepover just began. You may mess everything else up.' she smirked and took the laptop from him and put it on Archer Season 1 then placed it near the end of the bed.

'This show had better be good, too.' he playfully huffed as they laid on their stomachs. He lazily threw one arm over her waist and used the other to support his chin

'It's like a more sophisticated Family Guy. It's hilarious.' she smiled and scooted closer to him as the episode started. 'See, that's his mom and she's like the boss and that's Lana. She and Archer are basically in love even though she can't stand him.' she went on trying to explain the concept of the show and by the time the next episode came on, he was laughing right along with her.

They managed to get through half of season one before they both fell asleep.

When he got up the next morning he realized he didn't hardly get any sleep at all but he never felt so rested in his life. She was still sound asleep beside him and it would've been a crime to wake her up that early in the morning. He carefully rolled out of their cocoon and walked over to his closet to put on a pair of work jeans and boots.

After doing his morning chores, Fitz returned to the house and walked back up the stairs to his bedroom. He could hear Olivia still snoring from within the fort so he decided to shower before waking her up. He came back out in a white t-shirt and khaki pants and started taking the sheets down from his bedposts.

Olivia was still laying on her stomach, her head resting on her forearm. Fitz gently shook her arm.

'Wake up, Olivia.'

'Why?' she grunted.

'Because its almost time for church.'

'Seriously?' she groaned even louder and Fitz fought back his laughter.

'Seriously. Now, get up. We need to leave in 20 minutes.'

Olivia pouted and let her eyes flutter open. Now she remembered one of the main reasons she stopped going to church. It started way too early for her taste. She huffed to her duffle bag and took out her makeup case and dress and went to the bathroom.

After shutting the bathroom door, Olivia checked her phone to see she had missed calls from all of her friends but she decided to call Abbey and send the rest of them text messages.

'Liv, did you seriously spend the night at that man's house again?' Abbey hissed after answering on the first ring.

'Good morning to you too, Abigail.' Olivia rolled her eyes and grabbed a towel out of the linen closet in his bathroom to wash her face then proceeded to moisturize her skin.

'Are you crazy? I'm all for having a good time but you just met this guy.'

'I obviously have the wrong phone number because I know this isn't the same Abbey who was so excited for me yesterday.' she put the phone on speaker and put it on the counter top so she could work on her makeup. 'This can NOT be the same Abbey who told me she was coming next weekend to meet him.'

'I didn't say I wasn't excited for you but this is kinda crazy. The first night was an accident but you purposely spent the night at a stranger's house last night.' she tried reasoning.

Abbey had been very excited that Olivia had found somebody there to occupy her time and keep her company but she was being a bit absurd. Her best friend was falling hard and fast for somebody she barely knew and it scared her half to death.

'Nothing even happened. He built us a pillow fort and we watched Netflix.'

'Such a modern romance.' Abbey scoffed. 'What are you guys, 5?'

Her face heated up with embarrassment. 'What's wrong with you today? I even wore those cute leggings you packed in my emergency kit from my trunk. Look, Fitz is a nice guy and we had a good time.'

'And how do you know this? How do you know he's a good guy?'

'I don't know.' she admitted. 'My gut. My gut tells me he's a nice guy and that I really like him and that he really likes me, too.'

'And what did your gut tell you about Officer Asshole?' she nearly spat out.

Olivia stopped putting her foundation on for a moment to look down at her phone, not believing that her friend was acting the way she was. Abbey sensed the silence on Olivia's end and immediately regretting even mentioning Jake. It was a low blow and she knew it.

'Olivia-' she started. She knew exactly what was about to happen. Olivia was about to shut down. She did that whenever she was frustrated or upset and Abbey really didn't want that to happen. Usually she could bring ice cream and talk their issues out but that wasn't possible now that she was so far away.

'Don't.' she stopped her. 'Don't compare them. I have to go, Abbey. I'll talk to you later.'

'Liv, wait.' she sighed. 'Don't do this.' Abbey said pleadingly.

'Do what?' she nearly spat out.

'That thing you do when you get frustrated. Don't shut me out. I'm just trying to be rational, here. I'm not saying not to date him or have a good time, I just want you to slow down.'

'Life isn't always rational, Abbey. I'm just going on instinct. If it feels right, then I'm going to do it. Point, blank, period.'

'And spending the night in a pillow fort with a man you just met feels right? It can't feel right because it doesn't even sound right.'

'I have to go.' Olivia reached down and touched the screen to end her phone call and put Abbey on 'Do Not Disturb' then continued doing her makeup. She hadn't noticed but her hand was slightly shaking as she replayed the details of their short conversation.

She truly couldn't believe the way Abbey was acting. As many times as she had to pick her up from guy's houses after one night stands or fake emergencies to get men to leave her apartment, she had no right to tell her who she should and should not spend the night with.

Olivia worked on getting all the pins out of her bun then her phone started to buzz again with calls and text messages from her other friends and she sighed. Abbey had obviously told them all what had happened. She knew they were just looking out for her but they just didn't understand. It was no way in the world anybody could understand the connection she felt with Fitz.

She picked her phone up and went to her messages until she found their group chat titled 'X Squad X' near the top.

 **'I'm fine. Enjoy brunch. Will call later.'**

And with that, Olivia turned her phone on Airplane mode and continued getting her hair together. She couldn't avoid them for forever and she knew that but now wasn't the time to address their concerns. After putting on her dress, she glanced at herself in the mirror.

What was she doing? Maybe Abbey was right. Maybe she was being crazy and irrational and maybe she needed to stop but she didn't want to. They weren't doing anything wrong and they were both adults. Neither of them needed anybody's consent or the dos and donts of their budding relationship.

But then again, maybe Abbey was right. Olivia sighed and came out of the bathroom and put her dirty clothes in her bag. Maybe some distance wouldn't hurt them after today. She dug through her makeup bag before finding her favorite Viva La Glam red to wear then went downstairs.

Once she made it halfway down the stairs, she could hear something sizzling on the stove in the kitchen. She dropped her shoes near her purse that was still sitting on the couch from the previous night and then made her way to the kitchen. Fitz was frying some eggs and on the counter sat a plate full of pancakes.

Olivia swooned over how domestic they looked right then. She walked to where he was standing and glanced over the pan and smiled. 'Good morning.'

'Thank God Olivia is back because I didn't know what I was going to do with that grump I saw a few minutes ago.' he said teasingly as he picked the pan off the stove and divided the eggs up evenly amongst the two plates he had pulled down.

'You just think you're so funny.' she rolled her eyes and picked up one of the plates and walked over to the island and they both sat down to eat.

Fitz had gotten a bowl of dog food for the dog but when he saw them eating real food, he began to whine and whimper underneath their feet. Fitz ignored his pleas and almost teasingly ate his bacon but Olivia broke a piece off and dropped it for him.

'There you go spoiling him again.' he shook his head. 'That dog food is perfect for something his size. I made the formula myself. It has the perfect amount of whole grain and wheat so that his-'

'Stop being such a vet.' she chastised cheekily before dropping another tiny piece of bacon down for the dog.

After finishing their breakfast, they washed dishes and headed out the door to head towards the sanctuary in his truck. She had plans on going straight home after they got out of church. She didn't want to but Abbey's words were ringing in her head. What if her gut had been wrong?

'Slow and steady.' she exhaled to herself as she watched Fitz turn the truck on and it roared and rumbled in response as he drove towards the front gates.

'Slow and steady.' she mumbled to herself again as she pretended to not notice his offered hand on the center console.

'Slow and steady.' she tried to convince herself as she stared out her window but intertwined their fingers.

He was making this impossible.


	4. The Scarlet Letter

**So I was doing pretty good with the one update a week thing but I recently had final exams and studying managed to eat a lot of my time. Here's Chapter 4 and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, I love your reviews. It makes my little day to see those notifications pop up in my email. Y'all are hilarious.**

* * *

'You look nice today. That shirt really fits you well.' Olivia said her gaze still averted out the window. Fitz's closest neighbor was a half a mile down the road and there was nothing in between except trees. She used to wonder how anybody could live this way but she understood it. It was nice and quiet and quite serene.

'Oh, I don't look nice everyday?' Fitz asked teasingly as he gently squeezed down on her fingers.

Something as simple as hand holding shouldn't have left him so awestruck. He had held plenty of hands before but with Olivia, things were different. Her hand was small and her fingers were dainty and they seemed to almost disappear as Fitz held it. Her skin was smooth and soft and her fingernails were perfectly manicured while his was rough and calloused from farm work. Her little hand fit perfectly into his no matter what the differences were.

Olivia turned to him and looked him up and down then smirked. 'I guess you do alright for what you have to work with. If it wasn't for your face, you'd easily be a 3.'

Fitz burst into laughter and Olivia was relieved. Not everybody understood her brand of often dry humor and she found herself apologizing a lot but Fitz obviously got that she was joking. If anything else, she knew she could be herself around him.

'A 3, huh? I feel so honored to be graded like a piece of hanging meat.' he scoffed.

'Is that a hint of sass I hear in your voice?' she cocked an eyebrow at him. 'I'm going to have to bump you down to a 2.5 for that one.' she said matter of factly.

'And yet, you're still holding my hand.' he friskily challenged as he held up their interlocked fingers.

'Just because I didn't want to hurt your feelings after you offered it.' Olivia said sympathetically. 'I like to do service for the community that I'm in and if that means dating the town hunchback, then so be it.' she dramatically sighed.

'You're so mean to me.' he glanced at over, shooting her a pitiful look. 'You're the meanest little woman I know.'

'And yet, you're still holding my hand.' she said, complacently throwing his words back at him.

Fitz chuckled lowly and stopped the truck and put it in park. His ranch was at the end of the road so there was no traffic behind or in front of them. He released her fingers and took his seat belt off while Olivia watched him, confused.

'What are you doing? We're going to be late for church.'

Reaching over the center console, Fitz attacked her midsection with wiggling fingers. Olivia squealed and tried scooting away from him but was still stuck in her seatbelt. She began pushing back on his hands, trying to get him to stop.

'Stop! Stop!' she yelled through her tittering.

'Say you're sorry.' he commanded, his fingers never ceasing.

'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' Olivia writhed as far away as she could until she was pressed up against the passenger side door.

'Mhm.' he hummed and stopped, watching her come down from her giggle fit before putting his seatbelt back on and putting the truck in Drive. 'That's what I thought.'

'You play so dirty.' she grumbled before he took her hand again.

'I play to win.' he grinned and pressed his foot back on the gas and they started moving towards the church once more.

'I don't even think I want to hold your hand anymore.' she huffed and turned her gaze back out of the window, taking in the scenery. She couldn't remember a time that she was up this early and actually happy about it but Fitz made it worth her while. He was making _everything_ about Knights Ferry worth her while.

'Well, too bad.' he said with finality in his voice.

'I have to tell you though, Fitz. I haven't been to church in a long time. I don't really go that often.' she glanced over at him, looking for some type of reaction although his face was unreadable.

'Why is that?' he asked, more curious than anything.

'I don't know.' she shifted a little uncomfortably. 'First of all, it starts a tad too early for my taste.' she laughed lightly. 'Plus, people at churches are so.. Judgmental. I feel like they're just looking at you and waiting on you to mess up or something.' the grip her fingers had on his hand loosened. She felt a tad bit too exposed after her confession.

'Well, nobody here is going to be doing any of that. Everybody in Knights Ferry is basically one big happy family. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself.' he smiled reassuringly, still blissfully unaware of the storm brewing at the sanctuary. 'But thank you for coming with me today. It really means a lot that you would do this with me.'

Fitz brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently before smiling at her again. Olivia returned his expression, relieved that he seemed to understand her point of view.

The ride didn't last much longer and soon they were pulling up at the small white church in town. The parking lot was full of cars and even had 2 horses hitched up to a post on the side. Olivia had to keep herself from laughing at the sight.

She had seen these small country churches on television but never thought she'd have to actually walk into one. The church she went to as a child had over 1,000 members that attended on a regular basis and there definitely wasn't any animals attached to it.

Fitz parked the truck near the back of the lot since all of the closer spots were taken and turned the vehicle off. After getting out, he opened Olivia's door for her and extended his hand to help her get down. He glanced down at her feet and shook his head after noticing her heels.

'I don't know how you function in those things.'

'Call it a lifestyle.' she smirked as she adjusted her dress and they walked towards the church.

Because services didn't start for another 15 minutes, Pastor Thomas Richards was standing outside in his robes and greeting people as they walked in. He had his bible tucked securely underneath his arm and an ice cold bottle of water at his feet to help fend of the heat.

Pastor Richards smiled brightly as he saw Fitz walking towards the front doors. The whole town had been buzzing all night about Fitz and Olivia but he didn't pay it any mind. He had been preaching at the church for the past 30 years and was great friends with Fitz's grandfather before he passed away.

He didn't know if Fitz and Olivia had had sex last night and frankly, he didn't want to know. As much as he preached about celibacy, these were adults who made decisions for themselves. Fitz was a good man and Pastor Richards had always admired him for giving up his life in the city to continue his grandfather's legacy. It also didn't hurt that Fitz brought him a batch of fresh fruit from his fields every season.

'So good to see you on this lovely Sunday morning, Fitz.' he greeted cheerily then turned to Olivia. 'And who is your lovely friend here?' he asked as if he didn't have any clue who Olivia was. As of last night, everybody knew who she was.

'Good morning, Pastor.' Fitz smiled and gestured to her. 'Pastor Richards, this is Olivia Pope. She's new in town.'

'Very nice to meet you, Olivia.' he smiled sweetly at her and took her hand in his. He almost cringed as he thought about the mess that these two were about to walk into when the other citizens laid eyes on them. 'I've heard.. A lot about you.' he said cryptically.

'All good things I hope.' she said with a light laugh, not noticing the uncertainty in Pastor Richard's voice.

'Of course, of course. Where are you from?'

'I grew up in San Diego but I've been in Sacramento for the past few years.' she kept her nose from crinkling up. People here were so nosy. You couldn't have a normal conversation without them wanting to know everything except your bra size. She didn't think she'd ever get over their overly friendly behavior.

'Oh.' he cocked his head slightly. 'Do you have a home church there?'

Olivia hesitated for a moment, unsure on how to answer this. 'Yes.' she lied.

'Which one? A few of my friends have churches in the Sacramento area.'

'Oh um. I um, attended New Hope Saint Mary of Bethlehem.' _Shit. I don't even think that makes sense._

Pastor Richards raised his eyebrows at her. 'I've never heard of that particular church. Who's the pastor there?'

She was falling deeper and deeper in her lie. 'His name is Martin Payne.' Before Pastor Richards could get another question out, Olivia smiled brightly. 'Great meeting you. See you inside.' she took Fitz by the wrist and started headed towards the double doors of the church.

'New Hope Saint Mary of Bethlehem?' Fitz snickered softly once they were out of earshot of Pastor Richards and standing in the foyer. He caught on to her lie fairly quickly. 'Olivia, you couldn't do any better than that? I'm going to tell this story for the rest of my life.'

'You wont have much of it left if you keep teasing me.' she sassed at him. 'Cut me some slack. It's been about a decade.'

'Calm down. Nobody here is going to be judging you or looking at you funny because you haven't been to church in a while, alright?.' he reassured with a smile and took her hand in his as they walked through the second set of doors to get to the sanctuary.

Fitz pushed the doors of the church opened and they creaked loudly as if they were complaining about being moved. The noise brought everyone's attention to them and all of a sudden, all eyes were on them. Olivia noticed how everyone seemed to watch her walk around the room but they had been doing it the whole week she had been there so she was used to it.

After finding seats near the middle row, they sat beside each other and waited for the Pastor to walk back inside. Olivia glanced around the room to notice that people were still staring over at them but today, the looks were different. Usually people gawked at her like some type of clown or animal at the zoo; curiously but respectfully. Today, though, everybody was glaring. She shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat and leaned closer to Fitz.

'Everybody is looking at us.' Olivia whispered in his ear. She wondered if she was too over dressed or if her dress showed too much skin. She was wearing a red, short-sleeved Calvin Klein that ended right above her knees and her black Loubiton pumps. She self-consciously smoothed her hair down, wondering if that was the problem. If looks could kill, she and Fitz would've both been dead by now.

'I don't blame them. Who wouldn't be staring at you?' Fitz grinned and held her hand confidently, ignoring the looks they were given. Fitz had noticed people watching them but didn't want to mention it to her. He didn't know what everybody's issue was today and he didn't want her to be worried. He quickly changed the subject. 'Here, take a picture with me.' he whipped his phone out and opened up the camera app.

'Mk.' she lightly smiled as he held his phone out. Right before he could snap the picture, she stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes and laughed.

'Aw, come on. That one was going to be good.' he grunted as he analyzed the photo before a smile crept up on his face. He liked that he captured her naturally silly side in the picture. It was honestly perfect.

'Sorry, only one photo per fan. I charge for extras.' she teased.

'Hm, fine. I guess I'll just make this my screensaver.'

Olivia laughed and shook her head. 'Let's take another.'

'Nope.' he smiled as he saved the photo as the background of his phone. 'I like it.'

'You suck.' she groaned.

Mellie was already in church and sitting with her friends near the front. Her eyes had been glued on them since the moment they came inside. 'Would you believe them?' she scoffed. 'They were together all night and now they have the nerve to show up here. _Together._ ' she spat the last word out for emphasis. 'Have they no shame?'

'Mother said that neither of them came in to buy condoms recently.' her friend Emily said in the most condescending tone she could muster. Her parents owned the convenience store in town and it wasn't unlike them to discuss the purchases of residents. 'That means they must not have used any type of protection.' her face scrunched up.

'I hope she doesn't get pregnant. That'd be the worst mistake of his life- starting a family with some prissy little lady like Olivia.' Mellie grumbled.

'You know those women from the city have sex with anything that has a penis. She probably gave him one of those STDs or something.' her other friend nearly gagged at the thought. 'You're going to let her just come in and steal your man right from under you? I heard they did some pretty nasty things last night.'

'Absolutely not. I'm going to have to teach her a lesson.' she scanned the sanctuary until she found exactly who she was looking for in the back. She put on her sweetest smile then stood from her seat. If she couldn't have Fitz, she would make sure he'd be miserable with whoever he was with. She straightened her dress out before nearly skipping towards the back pew.

'Hi, Jakey.' she smiled and sat beside Jake on the empty row. He looked like he hadn't slept all night and he still smelled of the bar. He hadn't left until James had shut it down around 2am.

'What do you want, Mellie?' he nearly spat out as he jealously watched on as Fitz showed Olivia something on his phone that made her laugh then they took another picture together. He knew Fitz and there was no way in the world he was that damned funny.

'I need a favor from you that may benefit both of us.' she placed a hand on his knee. 'I think we ca fix the mess you made.' she leaned in so she could whisper in his ear, ignoring his smell.

As the pastor walked inside the church, a silence fell amongst the citizens including Mellie and Jake. He sauntered up to the pulpit and looked out into his congregation in disappointment. Of course small town gossip was bound to happen but the way people were treating Fitz and Olivia was inexcusable in his eyes. They hadn't done anything wrong to anybody there. After saying a short prayer, he started flipping through his bible.

'Good morning. Today before I dive off into the sermon, I would like to read a scripture. You won't have to read along, just listen and hear me well.' he grabbed his glasses from the podium he was at and pushed them up on his face before clearing his throat.

'"He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip." Proverbs 20:19'. he looked out into the congregation once more. 'I refuse to call out any names or to say anything specific but if you're involved in any type of hearsay or gossip, let it end today. Do not cause any extra turmoil in your brother's life. You all know who you are and I expect more from you all. Maybe I'm not as good as leading the flock as I thought I was.' he shook his head.

The people in the congregation all began fidgeting uncomfortably and whispering amongst one another. Olivia turned to Fitz and shot him a quizzical look but he could only shrug. Neither of them had any clue what had been going on right behind their backs.

'Now that we've gotten some housekeeping out of the way.' Pastor Richards spoke up again, disrupting their chatter. 'Turn in your bible to Psalm 128 and we'll get the lesson started for the day.'

As the services began, Mellie faked a cough and excused herself from the service. Instead of getting water, she snuck out of the back door without anybody noticing and got in her car and drove off. Jake needed to provide a slight distraction so when Pastor Richards got done with his sermon, he stood and walked over to where Olivia and Fitz had been sitting.

'Hi, guys.' he gave Fitz a fake smile then turned his attention to Olivia. She was just as beautiful as the first day they met. 'Liv, can I have a minute to talk to my friend?'

Olivia looked between then nodded. 'It's Olivia, by the way. Not Liv.'

'I'll be out in a minute.' Fitz smiled apologetically at her then reached in his back pocket and gave her the truck keys. 'Wanna just go turn the air on and sit?'

'Mhm.' she nodded and took the keys and moved past them and out of the sanctuary, pleasantly surprised that people were actually kind of smiling at her as she made her way outside. Whatever the Pastor had said during his message had obviously helped to lighten people's moods.

'What is it, Jake?' he turned his attention back to him. He knew Jake was probably upset because he got the girl in the end but he didn't care. He had his chance and he screwed it up and now he and Olivia we're moving fast towards a future.

'You do realize its a sin to have sex before marriage, right?' he crossed his arms defensively.

'Are you serious right now?' Fitz raised his eyebrows, in sheer disbelief of what Jake was saying to him.

'Absolutely. Whatever you and Olivia have going on needs to stop before you both end up rotting in hell.'

'What has gotten into you? You've had sex with almost every woman in this town.' he hissed lowly, considering that there were still other people around.

'This isn't about me!'

'The life Olivia and I are building is none of your concern. You messed up, Jake. You messed up big time and I'm sure it hurts you to see Olivia happy with me but I'm going to continue to be with her for as long as she'll have me.' he said with finality. He didn't wait for Jake to respond and moved past him and headed out of the sanctuary.

'You won't be able to keep her happy.' Jake called out as Fitz walked away.

Fitz walked towards the back of the parking lot where the truck was parked to find Olivia was already sitting on the driver's side with the air turned on. He opened the door to let her out but she gave him that face. That face that he couldn't deny anything.

Fitz didn't know how she managed to do it every single time. Her bottom lip would poke out into the perfect pout and she would blink a few times as if her eyes may water. Her shoulders slumped slightly to go along with her petulant facade.

'I want to drive. I've never driven a truck.' she ran her fingers over the big steering wheel.

His mood had been slightly dampened by his conversation with Jake but there was no way he could be upset as he gazed upon her petite frame in his huge truck. She hadn't adjusted his seat yet so her bare feet couldn't reach the pedals in front of her.

'Whatever you want.' he smiled and moved to the other side and got in, careful of her belongings on the floor.

'So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?' she asked as she pushed her seat up more so she could actually see properly out of the window in front of her.

'I need to go to the next town over and pick up some supplies.' he sighed at the thought of the long drive then smiled. 'Why don't you come with me?'

Olivia was hesitant to answer. She was thinking that it would be best to maybe spend a little time apart even though she didn't want to. 'I would need to get changed first.' she mumbled. It was the lamest excuse ever but it was the only one she could come up with.

'Your house is on the way out of town so we can stop by there and keep going. This place actually has a real restaurant. It's a Waffle House.' Fitz grinned as if that was the most exciting thing that had happened to him in years.

'Seriously? They still have those?' Olivia cocked and eyebrow and slowly started on the road towards her house as she got herself adjusted to the power of the vehicle.

'Yes- and its absolutely delicious.' he defended.

'I've never been to-'

'You've never been to Waffle House?' Fitz nearly gasped as he cut her sentence off. 'That's so.. Un-American.'

'Really? Un-American?' she snickered. 'My parents were doctors. Anything involving huge waffles was absolutely out of the question. Plus, they said nobody eats there except dirty truckers.'

'I promise you won't regret it. Please come?' he reached out and touched her right hand that was still holding on to the steering wheel.

'Fine. I'll go with you.' she glanced over at him and smiled softly, nodding her head.

The thought of spending a few more hours with Fitz excited her way more than Abbey's words worried her. If they crashed and burned, then so be it.

* * *

Jake pulled out his phone and called Mellie, his hands nearly shaking at the thought of what they had just conspired to do. She didn't answer but called right back.

'Did you do it? Are you finished?' he asked, his voice trembling.

'Ya I just got done. Have they left the church, yet?'

'Yes, but I don't know where they're going.' he sighed. 'You need to get out of there like right now before anybody else sees you. I won't be able to protect you if somebody sees you.'

'They'll all see it soon enough.' she hung up and checked her surroundings to make sure nobody was around to see. After ensuring she was alone she got in her car and sped off.

* * *

'Hey, I'm actually pretty good at this.' Olivia said with a grin as she kept up with the slow paced traffic going through town.

'Well.. You cut that corner back there a little short and the wheel kinda went up on the curb.' Fitz reminded. He had to admit, she had done a pretty good job for her first time and she seemed to really enjoy driving.

'Leave it to you to pinpoint the one teeny tiny incident. What about how I perfectly pulled out of the parking lot without the help of a backup camera, hmm?'

'Ohhhh.' he said sarcastically. 'You put the truck in reverse and kept the wheel straight. I'm sooooo impressed.'

'Why do you even have this big truck anyway? Overcompensating for something?' she glanced over at him, holding her laughter as he blushed.

'No.' he said defensively. 'You see, I'm not like those fancy boys from the city that you're used to. I do manly things that require a manly truck.' he grinned and flexed his firm bicep.

'And smug. You're very smug.' she quipped as they turned on the little dirt road her house was on.

'Why are so many people on your front porch?' Fitz cocked an eyebrow as they noticed a small crowd of people gathered around Olivia's house.

'I have no clue.' she mumbled curiously as they pulled up in her driveway and she turned the truck off.

People here were so wishy washy. One minute they hated you, the next minute they were waving at you and then they were all standing in your yard after church. Fitz got out the truck first then went the driver's side and opened her door for her to jump down.

'Is there something wrong?' Olivia asked to the small group of people who hadn't even noticed that they had pulled up. After hearing her voice, her neighbors all moved out of her way so that she could see what had happened.

Olivia's face flushed when she realized somebody had spray painted the word 'WHORE' in big red letters across the front of the house and the windows had been broken. Fitz immediately took her hand into his as he studied the damage.

'Who would do this?' she grumbled and touched her fingertips to the paint then looked at them. The red rubbed off on her fingers letting them know that it must've been done fairly recently.

Fitz didn't know exactly who did it but he had a good feeling about it. Everything in his mind told him it was Jake but that was impossible. Jake didn't leave until after they did and he wouldn't have had time to do anything like this without somebody seeing him. 'I'll take care of this. I'll fix it all when we get back.' he reassured.

Mayor Holland and his wife had been driving back home when they noticed the small crowd still gathered around Olivia's house. He asked his wife to drop him off and promised he'd be home after he saw what all the commotion was about. He walked up the driveway and prayed that nothing bad had happened. The damage became painfully clear as he stood on the porch.

'Alright, alright. All of you go on home now. Nothing to see here.' he shooed her neighbors off the porch and turned to Olivia with an apologetic look on his face.

People here were usually so nice. He couldn't think of anybody who would do something as malicious as this especially after only knowing Olivia a week. He wanted his small city to make a good, lasting impression on her but they were definitely off to a bad start. Between being stood up the other night, the rumors and now this, he wouldn't be surprised if she was ready to move back to Sacramento by the end of day.

'Olivia I'm so sorry that this happened. I honestly don't have a clue as to who would want to do something like this.' he shook his head and pulled out his cellphone. 'You need to file a report and lets pray that we find the person.'

Olivia sheepishly nodded her head and squeezed onto Fitz's hand a little tighter. Sensing that she had become a little overwhelmed, Fitz wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his side.

'Hey, sheriff. I need you at Olivia Pope's house pronto. Double time it.' Mayor Holland said urgently. Not only was he afraid of Olivia leaving, he also didn't want to have to deal with her fiery manager.

He and Abbey had only exchanged a few phone calls while getting Olivia's house prepared but he knew he didn't want to be back on her bad side. He had reassured that she would be well taken care of during her stay in Knights Ferry but obviously that wasn't working out. During their most recent conversation, she had threatened to have him castrated if Olivia didn't get her wi-fi working at her house.

He had no clue if she could or would do that but he didn't want to take any chances on it, either. Mayor Holland had to beg the cable people to come and install her connection and as of now, she and Fitz were the only two people in town that had open access to the internet.

Fitz groaned internally at the thought of Jake coming the house. The last thing he wanted to do was to stress Olivia out more than she already was so he didn't mention it and they waited for Jake to pull up.

By the time the Sheriff's Department car pulled up Mayor Holland had started walking back towards his home, leaving Fitz and Olivia standing out on the porch. Jake parked the car in the driveway and fought back the smile playing on his lips at Mellie's handiwork. He hopped out of his car and made his way up the porch.

He hated how small and upset Olivia looked in that moment and it burned him up even more seeing her tucked under Fitz's arm but it would all be worth it in the end after she broke it off with him. He took out his notepad and cleared his throat. 'So. What's going on?' he asked as if he couldn't see the damage.

Fitz raised his eyebrows. 'What do you mean whats going on? Somebody vandalized Olivia's house.' he gestured back to the broken windows and spray paint.

'Oh, yeah. I see it now.' he nodded and pretended to write something down. 'Did you see anybody do this?'

'No.' Olivia said softly. 'It was like this after we got back from church services.'

'So how do you know that Fitz didn't do it?' Jake asked accusingly as if he wasn't standing right next to them.

'Because we were together.' Fitz rolled his eyes. Obviously Jake wasn't going to be any help during this situation.

'I see.' he nodded his head as if he was really taking in what Fitz had said. 'Well, the most I can do for you is give you a few dollars out of the city's reserve to help cover the damage.'

'What?' she snapped. 'No investigation? Not nothing? Just an 'I'm sorry' basically?'

'This isn't Sacramento, Liv. We don't go around dusting for fingerprints or looking in security camera footage.' Jake rolled his eyes. They'd have to work on her attitude. 'And it looks like some teenage prank or something- not a murder scene.'

'I don't need any money to fix the house.' she shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest. 'And my name is Olivia, not Liv. Goodbye, sheriff.'

'Again, sorry this happened to you, Olivia.' Jake nodded in their direction and turned around to head back towards his vehicle with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Olivia sighed and shook her head as they watched Jake drive away. She unlocked her front door so they could walk inside the house. 'Make yourself at home. I'll go get changed.' she threw her purse on the couch.

As embarrassed as she was, she didn't want the incident to ruin the day she had planned with Fitz. If anything, their ride into the next town would be a pleasant distraction for her. Olivia kissed his cheek before heading down the hall towards her bedroom. She found a loose fitting, ankle length sundress and exchanged her heels for a pair of sandals then made a mental note to order more jeans and have them sent to the house. After doing a little twist in the mirror, she went to the bathroom to freshen up her makeup.

While Olivia was in the bathroom getting ready, Fitz quietly explored the small home. She hadn't gotten time to completely unpack so there were still a few boxes laying around. Her laptop was sitting on the couch still on the charger with 2 notebooks beside it. On the floor sat a copy of all 3 of the books she had written in the series filled with tabs and sticky notes.

As he walked around, he realized that the home was in desperate need of a few repairs. The faucet in the kitchen seemed to be dripping and the dining room had a couple of broken tiles. He took his phone out of his pocket and added a few extra items to his shopping list.

He noticed that there was glass on the floor from where the window had been broken and used the broom in the kitchen to clean it up a little. Nothing had been stolen from the house so this was obviously a crime of hate rather than greed.

When she came out of her room, she adjusted her dress slightly and fixed the thin spaghetti straps on her shoulders. The dress was black with a slit going up her left thigh and when she turned to pick something up off the floor, Fitz noticed the outline of her perfect behind. He shifted a little uncomfortably and tried not to stare.

'I'm ready.' she stood up straight and smiled sweetly, unaware of him checking her out. He took a deep breath to compose himself and held his arm out so she could settle into his side while they walked out.

Olivia locked the door behind them and Fitz grabbed a tarp he happened to have in the back of the truck. He covered up the offending paint and then they left to head to the hardware store a few towns over. The beginning of the ride was pretty quiet but she finally started talking about 10 minutes into the 45 minute drive.

'You know who I feel like? Hester Prynne.' she nodded her head, confirming her inner thoughts.

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed as he searched his memory for the name. Finally he shook his head and turned to her. 'Alright, you've got me. Who is that?'

'Hester Prynne? As in the main character of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne?' she raised her eyebrows in a playful challenge. She had a strange feeling Fitz wouldn't know who she was. 'How Un-American of you.'

Fitz groaned in despair and she laughed at his over dramatics. 'No wonder I couldn't remember who that was. I was trying my best to just forget about that story.'

'Do you remember what it was about?'

'Something about wearing a letter on her forehead or something like that. Why do you feel like her?'

'First of all, it was sown on her dress. Not on her forehead.' she snickered. 'Hester had an affair with a man and ended up having a child. The townspeople made her wear the letter 'A' on her chest. It was scarlet red so that nobody could miss it when she walked around.'

'But you haven't had an affair. You didn't do anything to deserve what's going on.' he shook his head again.

'I know that part. But somebody basically wrote it in scarlet across my house. Can't you see the similarities?'

'I suppose.' he sighed. 'I don't want you to be compared to Lester-'

'Hester.' she corrected.

'Hester.' he nodded. 'I don't want you to be compared to her.'

'Hmm.' she thought for a moment then snapped her fingers as a thought came to her mind. 'Well, then I'm kind of more like her daughter Pearl. Pearl never did anything wrong. She was just a victim of circumstance.'

'You're such a nerd.' he teased and they broke off into laughter.

They walked about something of a lighter subject the rest of the way into town. When they pulled up to hardware store, Fitz parked the truck and they walked in together. His jaw clenched when he noticed somebody checking her out while she was grabbing a shopping basket but he kept it cool.

He knew technically didn't have a right to be possessive over Olivia. As close as they had grown in the past few days, she wasn't his. She wore a smile as she wheeled the cart over to where he was standing and waiting on her.

They managed to move through Fitz's list of items fairly quickly and one of the store attendants helped to load their purchases on the back of his truck. After leaving the store, Fitz pulled up to the only other store they had in town. It was a Waffle House connected to a gas station and Olivia crinkled her nose. Fitz opened her door for her and extended his hand to help her get down.

'Are you sure about this place?' she asked, taking his hand but not coming out yet. The whole setup screamed 'food poisoning' to her.

'Yes.' he smiled and nodded. 'Don't you trust me?'

Olivia studied him for a moment before finally stepping out of the truck. 'I suppose.'

'Good.' his smiled widened at her admission as he led her into the restaurant and they took their seat at one of the booths. The cushions looked old and dingy and were slightly torn up from years of use. The tiles on the floor were gray but plagued with black scuffs and marks as if it needed a good mopping.

While it wasn't crowded, a few of the other tables and booths were occupied by a few truck drivers quietly eating their meals and playing with a pinball machine in the back corner. They could see straight into the gas station side of the restaurant but it completely empty except for 2 teenagers sitting behind the counter.

Before Olivia could comment, a lady approached their table. She was Caucasian and looked to be in her late 40's. Her hair was pinned up in a big obnoxious bun and she was wearing way too much makeup. She smiled at them. 'My name is Darla and I'm gunna be your server today. What can I get you guys to drink?'

'Coffee for me.'

'Me too.' Olivia nodded in her direction. Darla left to get their coffee while Olivia analyzed the menu. 'What's good here?'

'The waffles.' Fitz snickered and she rolled her eyes.

'Consider this our last date.'

'You think you can get rid of me that easily? Ha!' he grinned and turned his menu towards her. 'Why don't you get the All-Star breakfast? You can get hash browns or grits.'

'What in the world are grits?' she raised an eyebrow.

'You've never had grits?' he sat back in his seat. 'I don't know how to explain them. They're like a grain. Like oatmeal but different.'

'I'll stick with the hash browns.' she shook her head.

After Darla brought their food out, Olivia's eyes widened at all the plates placed on the table. She poked her waffle with her fork in obvious disapproval of it.

'I can hear you thinking, Olivia.' Fitz spoke up as he poured syrup over his waffle.

'Oh, really?' she put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on it, now slightly leaning in to him. 'What am I thinking?'

Fitz cleared his throat loudly and adjusted his voice, now speaking a few octaves higher than normal in an attempt to imitate her. 'This thing has too many calories in it. I don't want it because it probably has all types of fattening things in it. We already ate breakfast food this morning and now we're eating it again.'

Olivia burst out into laughter. 'Really? That's how I sound to you?'

'Yes.' he grinned, allowing his pitch to return to normal. 'Now, please try the waffle? I swear its good.'

'Fine.' she sighed and grabbed the syrup bottle from his hand. The waffle was divided into four sections so she lightly poured it into one before cutting into it. She picked up her fork and brought it up to her mouth when she realized Fitz was watching her. 'Could you not stare at me as I put food in my mouth?'

'I'm just waiting to see your facial expression after that waffle blows your mind.' he leaned over the table closer to her.

Olivia rolled her eyes before opening her mouth to taste it. After chewing a few times, she tried to fight the smile creeping up on the corner of her lips and covered the face with her hands. Fitz banged his hand down on the table.

'I knew it! I knew you'd love it!'

'Shut up!' she laughed and uncovered her face and Fitz's heart nearly melted at the sight of her bright smile.

After they finished eating, Darla came around to pick up her plates. She smiled down at them, still popping down on the piece of gum in her mouth. 'You two are too cute. Meals on the house.'

'You hear that, Olivia? Darla says I'm cute.' Fitz grinned and stood up from the booth before helping her up out of her seat.

'Thanks for feeding into his ego, Darla. I don't think I'll be able to fit back in the truck next to his big head.'

'Sorry.' Darla laughed but shot her an apologetic look. 'You folks have a good day, now. Come back and see us sometime.' she said before returning back behind the counter to start washing their plates.

Fitz left Darla a tip before heading over to the gas station side of the store. They walked up to the counter with the teenagers sitting behind it but they seemed way too engrossed in what they were doing to even look up. The girl looked to be around 18 and resembled a younger version of Darla while her brother seemed to be around 16. Both looked equally unenthused about being behind counter.

'Would you kids get your heads out of your tooshes and help those nice people?' Darla called out from the restaurant to her kids and shook her head. She always said that they'd be the death of her.

The girl, who had blonde hair with purple streaked through it and a name tag with 'Hannah' printed on it, looked up from her magazine and blew a bubble with the gum in her mouth and let it pop. 'Whaddya want?'

Fitz took a $20 out of his wallet and slid it across the counter. 'Just some gas.' he smiled sweetly. The girl eyed him for a moment before grabbing the bill and putting it in the register.

'Which ones yours, mister?'

'The black F-350' he gestured out the window then handed the girl his keys who proceeded to throw them to her little brother who hadn't looked up from his video game.

'20 on that black truck, loser.' she said before turning her attention back to her magazine.

Fitz couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He could only pray that his teenagers turned out nothing like the two in front of him. He walked over to where Olivia was looking at some trinkets on one of the counters.

'I thought you went to get some gas.' she said while curiously studying a shot glass with a picture of Florida on it and wondered what in the world it was doing on sale in California.

'People here are pretty old fashioned. They still pump your gas for you.' he shrugged and picked up a pack of gum.

'This place is so strange.' she shook her head as they continued to peruse through the aisle.

Hannah looked up from her magazine long enough to get a good look at Olivia. Her eyes cut at the sight of her as she tried to place where she knew her face. She reached down underneath the counter where she kept her magazines and books and snacks and grabbed a copy of one of Olivia's books.

After quickly flipping to he back of the book, she found a black and white photo of Olivia on the bottom flap. She analyzed the picture then looked back to Olivia and her jaw dropped. Hannah scrambled to dig her iPhone out of her purse and managed to snap a few pictures of her.

While Hannah never indulged herself in too much celebrity gossip, she knew a few things about Olivia Pope. She knew she stayed in a fancy penthouse apartment in Sacramento, she knew her favorite color was a tossup between teal and gold, she knew she drove a custom BMW, and she knew one of her hidden talents was that she could skateboard. What she didn't know, though, was that she had a boyfriend.

'Maybe they're just friends.' she tried to convince herself. She watched on as they laughed and seemed to be flirting with one another. When Fitz pulled Olivia into a playful kiss, Hannah managed to quietly snap 3 photos of them. _Obviously_ they weren't just friends.

As they started walking towards the counter with their candy and toys out of the $1 box, Hannah quickly stuffed her phone into her back pocket. She glanced up at Fitz and really got a good look at him and wondered if she was in some type of secret relationship. She didn't recognize him so he obviously wasn't a celebrity but who could he be?

'Miss Pope, I hate to be a bother but would you mind autographing this for me?' she asked nervously and slid her book towards Olivia, ignoring the items Fitz had out on the countertop.

Olivia glanced down at Hannah's name tag then smiled warmly and nodded her head. 'I would love to, Hannah. Anything for a fan.' she reached down into her purse and grabbed her favorite shimmery gold pen then signed the book.

'I never expected to see you all the way out here.' Hannah mumbled as she watched Olivia draw a smiley face under her name.

'Just passing through.' she shut the book and gave it back to her. While she didn't mind being recognized, she moved out to the middle of no where for a reason. If all her fans knew where she was staying then it would defeat the purpose of leaving the city.

'You're really an inspiration.' she held the book to her chest. 'You make me want to write.'

'Aww.' Olivia clutched at her heart. She loved this part of her job. She always bragged that she had the best fans in the world. 'Have you written anything, Hannah?'

Hannah mumbled. 'No. I don't know what I want to write. I haven't found anything yet.' she admitted sheepishly as she began scanning their items. 'I just know I want to write.. Something.'

'Hm.' she hummed before reaching down in her purse and taking out a business card. 'This has my email address on it. Feel free to contact me, ok? I'd like to help you.'

'Really? Are you serious?' her eyes widened as she looked at the card. 'Thank you so much.'

'Just promise you won't go giving it out.' she laughed lightly.

'Of course not, of course not.' she furiously shook her head.

After paying for their items, they headed back outside to the truck and began driving back to Knights Ferry. Fitz turned the radio on but the kept the volume down low so that they could still talk.

'That was really nice of you. I know you don't just give your personal information out to everybody.'

'I don't but she seemed like a really sweet girl who's just in need of some guidance.' she sat back in her seat and grabbed some candy out of the bag of items they had just bought. 'Guidance and inspiration.'

'And the way she lit up when she realized who you were was amazing. She would barely even look at me at all but I'm almost positive she smiled a little when you came up the counter. You just have this weird way of making people open up to you.'

'I'm pretty sure its nothing about me that made her do that.' she smirked. 'She probably only did that because I'm somewhat famous. I'm like a C-List celebrity.' she flipped her hair dramatically.

'I'm pretty sure you've reached at least A-List status.'

'No.' her head shook. 'Beyonce, Tom Cruise, Heidi Klum.. Those are A-List celebrities. I'm like a D and a C on my good days.' she joked.

'Well, you're an A on my list.' he took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips and held it there for a few moments.

Olivia's heart fluttered and her stomach did a little flip. He seemed to always know what to say at just the right times. Screw slow and steady. Thomas Fitzgerald Grant III was hers.

As they drove back into town, they noticed a small group of people sitting on Olivia's porch. She groaned and threw her head back in frustration. 'Nothing good comes from people crowding around my house.'

'Let's see what's going on.' he sighed and pulled his truck into her driveway. After helping her down, they walked up to the porch.

'Is there something wrong?' Olivia asked in an exasperated tone. She had had just about enough of unexpected visitors for the day.

'What's going on here, Max?' Fitz addressed the group of teenagers.

They didn't have too many young people in town but they all loved Fitz. While the girls only liked to drool over him, the boys were allowed to help him with farm work during the busy season. Fitz paid them handsomely and would feed them during the day while they worked.

'Nothings wrong, sir.' Max shook his head and stood to his feet. He was the oldest out of the group and their defacto leader. 'But we heard about how Miss Pope's house got all messed up today and we wanted to help.'

Max and his friends moved the tarp that covered the front of Olivia's house. They had fixed the broken windows and washed the red paint off of the house. After hearing the Pastor's words that morning, they all felt bad about their role in spreading the rumor. This was the least they could do for her.

'You all did this all by yourselves?' Olivia's lips crept up into a warm smile. She almost couldn't believe the 180 degree change she was seeing in everyone.

'Well, Hooter's dad fixed the windows because he doesn't like us messing around with his tools and stuff-' he rubbed the back of his neck. 'But we did everything else.'

'This is literally one of the nicest things anybody has ever done for me. What can I do to repay you all?' she reached to open her purse but Max lightly touched her arm, halting her movements.

'Nothing. Absolutely nothing.' his head shook. 'Mayor Holland is always saying that we're one big happy family here and family helps each other. We just hate that it happened.' he gave her an apologetic look and the rest of his friends nodded their heads in agreement.

'Thank you guys. All of you.'

'No problem. And if this happens again we're going to find the sucker and punch their lights out then key their car!' Hooter proclaimed, hitting his fist to his open palm.

'Hooter!' Fitz scolded.

'Oh. Sorry Dr. G.' he relaxed his arms. 'Next time we're going to find out who did it and send them to the Sheriff?'

Fitz chuckled and shook his head. 'You kids get home now. I'm sure your parents are starting to worry about you.'

'Sure thing, Doc.' Max nodded his head. 'C'mon guys. My mom said she'd make brownies for us tonight.' he led his excited group of friends off the porch and they started on their way towards Max's house.

'That was really nice of them.' Olivia murmured with a smile.

'I told you not everybody in this town is bad.' he slid his hands in his pockets and smiled down at her.

'I never said _everybody_ in this town was bad.' she wrapped her arms around his waist and raised herself on the tips of her toes before pressing a kiss on his lips. 'As a matter of fact, there's one person here who I like a lot.'

'I'll kick his ass.' Fitz playfully snarled, causing Olivia to laugh.

'Shut up and kiss me.' she mumbled before taking his lips again.

* * *

Hannah sat at the dinner table with her brother and mother, gleefully staring down at Olivia's signature in her book. She could literally categorize this as one of the best day of her life. Today and the day her deadbeat father walked out on them.

'Hannah Banana, what are you looking at that book all dreamy for?' Darla asked as she spooned some peas in her mouth.

'You know that couple that came in earlier? That lady was Olivia Pope. She wrote my favorite books. And-' she grinned. 'I got a picture of her. Can you believe it? Olivia Pope was in our store!'

'You mean that lady that writes those dumb books about time traveling?' her little brother groaned. Honestly he had never even read the books but he liked to see how upset his sister got when he spoke badly about them.

'They're not dumb!'

'Ya, they are!'

'No, they're not!'

'That's enough out of you two!' Darla yelled over her children who both rolled their eyes.

'You should sell those pictures to some type of gossip magazine or something.' her brother said as he bit into a roll on the table.

'No. That would be disrespectful.' she shook her head.

'You could get paid, stupid!'

'I've had just about enough out of you Donald! Go to your room!'

'She's still stupid.' he grumbled and grabbed his phone before going up to his room and getting on his computer. If Hannah was going to act like an idiot then he'd benefit from the pictures.

He logged into the family's iCloud account and accessed Hannah's pictures. He scrolled until he found the pictures she took today and downloaded them on his phone. After searching for a few minutes, he found a phone number for TMZ and dialed it.

* * *

 _So in summary: Olivia has decided to completely disregard what Abbey said and go head first with her relationship with Fitz, Jake and Mellie are assholes, Mayor Holland is terrified of Abbey, the citizens of Knights Ferry are finally coming around to seeing Fitz and Olivia together (everybody except Jake and Mellie), and it seems like the media may be getting a little tip about Olivia's budding relationship._

 **Until next time :)**


	5. Obligations (Intermission)

**This update is short but this is more of an intermission. Olivia needed to have some necessary conversations with her friends and it really didn't fit in with the next chapter so I just did them separately.**

* * *

After taking a shower and getting ready to go to sleep, Olivia sat on top of her bed and stared down at her iPhone. It had been in Airplane mode all day long and she could only imagine the amount of calls and texts she had missed. She took a deep breath and reached for it and sighed with relief when she realized it only had a 5% charge. That would buy her some extra time before she began calling her nagging friends back.

She reached over and grabbed her charger and plugged her phone up then went to her Settings. After taking her phone out of Airplane mode, it began buzzing and ringing with alerts of missed calls and texts. Olivia groaned and started scrolling through the notifications.

15 Missed Calls, _Abbey Whelan_  
17 Missed Calls, _Harrison Wright_  
10 Missed Calls, _Maggie Wright_  
14 Missed Calls, _Elizabeth North_  
13 Missed Calls, _Quinn Perkins_  
40 Unread Text Messages

Olivia groaned in frustration and flopped back on her bed, her head now laying on her pillows. She rested her phone on her stomach and rubbed her temples as she tried to decided who she wanted to call and deal with first. Her phone buzzed with a new notification and she grunted but picked it up.

A smile crept up on her face when she realized the text was from Fitz. She opened it up and saw where he sent an indecent amount of off guard pictures he had taken of her during the day. Some of them were cute, a few of her looking at some flowers at the nursery of the hardware store and one of her trying on silly glasses at the gas station, but most of them were downright embarrassing. He had managed to get one of her putting food in her mouth at Waffle House, another of her talking, and one more of her sneezing. She giggled softly before dialing his number.

'Delete them. All of them.' she demanded friskily after he picked up the phone.

'I'm not sure what you're referring to, Olivia.' he said, his voice full of unwarranted innocence. 'And I'm hurt that you would call me this late at night to make accusations. I was getting ready for bed I'll have you know.'

'Thomas Fitzgerald.' she warned.

'Olivia Carolyn.' he threw back, making her laugh.

'Payback is coming. Don't say I didn't warn you.'

'Well, unlike you, I'm photogenic at every angle. I'm sure whatever photo you take of me will be absolutely perfect.' they both laughed and then fell into a comfortable silence.

'I hate you.' she finally murmured.

'I hate you, too.' he chuckled softly.

'See you in the morning?'

'As long as you're on breakfast duty.'

'I suppose.' she exhaled but smiled.

'And please have my payment ready for me when I get there.'

Olivia's cheeks grew warm. After he told her he was coming over to make repairs in the morning, she insisted on paying him a fair wage. After some objection from Fitz, he finally sat down at the table with a scratch sheet of paper and a pen for a full 20 minutes calculating up his cost of services.

'You didn't even let me see how much it was going to be.'

'You're a wealthy woman, Olivia. I'm sure you can afford my services.' he teased.

'You'll get your payment.' she laughed softly. 'Goodnight, Fitz.'

'Goodnight, Olivia.'

They both lingered on the line for a few moments before Olivia finally disconnected it. She sighed happily and held her phone to her chest. Fitz was going to come over after he finished his morning chores to work on the leaky faucet in the kitchen and whatever else he saw was broken or needed a little elbow grease.

Plus, they had bought a bunch of dumb little toys and games and movies from the gas station earlier that day and that would give them something to do. She didn't really care why he was coming but the thought of spending another day together excited her. She let her mind wander for a little while before finally decided to call one of her friends.

 _'Which one of them do I want to hear chew me out first?'_ she asked herself as she scrolled through her list of favorite contacts. Olivia made a mental note to add Fitz to the list after she got a really embarrassing photo of him.

She shut her eyes tightly. 'Eenie, menie, mighny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, eenie, menie, mighy, moe.' she opened her eyes and realized she landed on Harrison's name. After taking another deep breath, she pressed her finger down to his name and it began to dial.

Harrison was laying in bed next to his wife when 'Work' by Rihanna began playing from his phone. It was Olivia's custom ringtone. He had been absolutely worried sick about her all day long. He was very aware of Abbey's abilities to push peoples buttons and he hoped she hadn't pushed Olivia too far this time. It was very unlike her to ignore phone calls especially for a long period of time.

'Hurry up and get it, Harrison!' Maggie smacked down on Harrison's shoulder, wanting him to move faster than the lightening speed he was already going to get his phone. She swatted at him a few more times before Harrison could finally get the phone to his ear.

'Olivia.' Harrison answered, grabbing Maggie's hand and stopping her from hitting him again. God knows he loved his wife but she worked out way too much to be smacking him around the way she was. He put the phone on speakerphone so she could hear the conversation.

'Harrison. How are you?' Olivia said hesitantly as she played with the lace on her nightgown. It was probably best that she called Harrison first. She knew he wouldn't lay into her as hard as the others would. She could hear Maggie shuffling around in the background and assumed she was listening in on the conversation.

'I've been better. My best friend is two hours away in some little podunk town and she hasn't been answering her phone all day and apparently - she's spent the night at a stranger's house two nights in a row. Besides being worried sick, though, I'm pretty good. How are you?'

Maggie pinched Harrison's thigh in obvious disapproval of his condescending tone. She pressed the 'Mute' button on his phone. 'Stop that! Don't push her away anymore!' she scolded before unmuting the phone.

'Abbey told you..' Olivia mumbled as if she didn't already know. Of course Abbey had made their group of friends well aware of what was going on with her. Honestly Olivia couldn't blame them for being upset.

'Yes, Abbey told me.' he confirmed.

'I didn't mean to worry anybody. He's a nice guy and he's really sweet and we've just been having a good time.' she could almost hear Harrison's questioning tone on the other end and she shook her head. 'I'm not having sex with him. We're literally just having a good time.'

'I'm all for having a good time Liv, but this isn't like you. Olivia Pope answers the phone when her friends call her. Olivia Pope is careful about the people she keeps company with. Olivia Pope has people who care and worry about her.'

'I know, I know.' she sighed. 'It's just that.. I talked to Abbey this morning and I knew she had good intentions but she just made me feel like shit when I told her about Fitz. I had been really looking forward to today.'

'Olivia, you know Abbey didn't mean any harm.' he said sympathetically. 'I'm sure you understand why we were so uneasy about this situation. We don't know this Fitz guy.'

'He's a good man.' Olivia tried to reassure although this conversation was really draining her. 'My gut tells me he's a good guy.'

'And what does this guy do? Abbey said he's like a farmer or something.'

'Agriculture researcher.' Olivia corrected. 'So he lives on a farm and does farm work but he also works with more technical things. He could probably tell you more about it than I could.'

'So, basically he's some type of evil scientist. Has he been sowing pig heads on cow bodies and stuff?' Harrison joked half-heartedly, causing Olivia to laugh.

'No, but he has been crossbreeding some fruit in his greenhouse if that counts for anything.' she said as her giggles subsided. 'He's amazing, Harrison. It's all really fresh and new but I've never been with anyone who treats me the way Fitz does.'

'And how exactly does he treat you?'

'I don't know how to explain it.' she murmured honestly. 'He's just really gentle and attentive and smart and compassionate and he knows how to take a joke and- he's a bunch of other stuff too. He's the perfect gentleman.'

Harrison sighed but smiled at his friend's sincere tone. Whoever this guy was, he must truly be amazing to have Olivia swooning the way she was right then. 'Well, if your gut is telling you that you should trust him then go with your gut. Just, please, don't do this again. You weigh like 110 pounds wet so it's only natural that we worry about you.'

'I weigh 110 pounds dry I'll have you know.' she huffed out then attempted to change the subject. 'How's my little rugrat?'

'She's fine. She really wanted to FaceTime her godmother today but-'

'Wow. Really laying the guilt on thick tonight, Harry.' she grunted. 'Tomorrow night, I swear. And Maggie, I can hear you breathing in the background.'

Maggie's face flushed but she smiled softly. 'Hi, Olivia.'

'I know it's late and I'm sure you guys are getting ready for bed so I'll talk to you later. Go give Gracey hugs and kisses for me, ok?'

'We will. Goodnight.'

'And please be careful.' Harrison pleaded with her before the line disconnected.

'I've never heard her talk about anybody like that. Not even Edison.' Maggie looked to her husband, giving him an almost quizzical expression. Her bottom lip poked out into a pout as she thought about the drastic change her friend seemed to be going through.

'He must really be all that to make her act this way.' he kissed her bottom lip and smiled. 'Let's just let her do her thing. If he makes her happy, then he makes us happy.'

'Agreed.' she smiled softly before pressing herself further into his arms.

* * *

After making a phone to Elizabeth and Quinn, Olivia took a deep breath and dialed Abbey's number. She prayed she wouldn't answer and that maybe they could address the situation at some other time but Abbey picked up her phone on the first ring.

Truthfully Abbey had been sitting at home all day waiting on her phone to ring. She knew she had pushed Olivia just a tad too far this morning and if she hadn't called by the end of the night, she had planned on taking a trip to Knights Ferry herself.

'Abbey.' Olivia exhaled as the line connected. She prayed Abbey wasn't up for a fight because she honestly didn't have the energy for it today.

'Can I talk first? I really need to say something.' Abbey mumbled. She had been practicing what she was going to say to Olivia almost all day but had forgotten it now that they were on the phone. She was just going to have to speak from the heart.

'Go ahead.'

She took a deep breath before she began. 'I'm sorry for all the things I said to you this morning. Honestly I'm just-'

'Worried about me. I know, I know.' Olivia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. If one more person said they were worried about her she may scream.

'Exactly.' Abbey said as she sat back in her bed. 'But if your gut tells you to trust this Fitz guy then I'm 100% on board.'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously. I even made you a gift to show you how serious I am about this.' she said matter of factly.

'A gift? What type of gift?' Olivia's left eyebrow cocked up, now intrigued. 'And how am I supposed to be getting this gift?'

'Go to your laptop and check the email I sent you about an hour ago.' she couldn't help but smile as she heard Olivia shuffling around her house to get to her computer.

Olivia went to the living room where her laptop was sitting on the charger and sat down on her couch. She balanced her phone between her ear and her shoulder and opened her laptop and accessed her email. 'I got out of bed for this so this better be good.' Olivia friskily warned.

'Oh it's amazing.' Abbey snickered.

After opening the email from Abbey near the top, she saw a file attached that said 'Mixtape' and she burst into laughter. 'You make me a mixtape?'

'Yes, but its more than that! I put my heart and soul into finding just the right music for it.' she said defensively ' And, I'm officially making Track 1 the Olivia and Fitz theme song.'

'We need a theme song, now?' Olivia chuckled and shook her head, only imagining what type of music her friend had compiled. After it finished, she clicked on Track 1 and the sound of a guitar being played started coming from her speakers. She could hear Abbey giggling as the song started up. 'What's so funny about this song, Abigail?'

'Just wait for it!' she said through her tittering. Olivia smirked and shook her head again and started listening to Jason Aldean's low voice crooning out the first verse of the song. As the chorus came around, it became very clear why Abbey chose the song.

 _And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor,_  
 _We can go slow or make it go faster,_  
 _Down through the woods and out to the pasture,_  
 _Long as I'm with you it really don't matter,_  
 _Climb up in my lap and drive if you want to,_  
 _Girl you know you got me to hold on to,_  
 _We can go to town but baby if you'd rather,_  
 _I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor_

'Oh my gosh. His tractor is actually green.' Olivia groaned through her laughter and covered her face. 'This describes us so well.'

'I told you! I told you!' Abbey couldn't stop laughing.

'You're such an idiot!' Olivia wiped the tears that were flowing from her eyes and she paused the song. 'What am I going to do with you, Abigail?'

'Forgive me and listen to the rest of the mixtape?' she asked hopefully.

'Sounds like a plan.' she smiled softly. 'He took me to brunch today. Waffle House.'

'Ew! They still have those?' Abbey's nose crinkled. 'Tell me more.' she pressed, wanting every little detail.

'It was actually really good. I mean it didn't hurt that I had great company but that waffle was delicious.' she shut her laptop and laid back on her couch, looking up at the ceiling. 'And he bought us a bowl of grits. Have you ever had those?'

'Isn't that some grainy white porridge or something?'

'Ya but he put like some sausage or something in it and it was so good.' she grunted and gently rubbed her stomach. 'I'm honestly surprised my tummy isn't punishing me tonight.'

'You're going to get fat if you keep all this up. The dreaded Knights Ferry 15.' they both snickered.

'It was a good day today, Abby.' she sighed happily. 'I mean I'm not going to claim that he's perfect but he makes staying here worth it.'

'Before you go making wedding plans, he still has to pass the best friend approval test.' they both laughed.

'And he'll pass with flying colors.' she defended then yawned softly. 'Goodnight, Abbey Wabbey.'

'Goodnight, Livvie Wivvie.'

Olivia giggled before hanging the phone up and going back to her bedroom to get some sleep. Her sheets a lot more comfortable now that she had talked things over with her friends. Not only that, she really had something to look forward to the next day.

* * *

 **Actual update will be coming a little while later this week. It has a lot of fluff in it so I wanted to get this out of the way.**


	6. I'm Yours

_**So I started writing this chapter but it was wayyyy too long. I'm dividing it up into 2 separate sections with the second part to be uploaded later. Enjoy and review!**_

* * *

Olivia whimpered in agony as she worked her legs to kick the covers off of her body. Usually she loved being wrapped up in her goose feather comforter but it had suddenly gotten hot in her house. _Of course something else had to go wrong today._ She wiped some sweat from her top brow and groaned.

If she was being completely honest with herself, she knew she had been going through some type of writing drought. She hadn't been able to get a decent page down in almost a month and the pressure was building. Every now and again, Olivia would have a dream so vivid she would almost feel like she was there and tonight was one of those nights. Her best writing came from these dreams and she really wanted to see this one play out.

She fought to keep her eyes shut and to keep the dream going but the heat was really getting to her and breaking her concentration. After realizing she wouldn't be falling back asleep, she sighed and rolled over and searched through the darkness for her journal on the dresser. After a few seconds of fumbling around, her fingers ran over the leather Moleskine notebook and she grabbed it. Using her phone as a light, she jotted down a few details from her dream.

She had been keeping her dream journal since she was a little girl though it used to be a subject of controversy in her house. Her parents couldn't understand why she would want to keep note of something as mundane as her dreams but Olivia always felt they were fascinating. She couldn't count how many times her eldest brother, Ethan, would steal her journal and proceed to read the dreams aloud at breakfast table in front of their other siblings.

Her brothers and sisters got a buzz from embarrassing her but she had grown tired of it. She tried to keep her notebooks hidden but they always ended up in the wrong hands. Olivia enjoyed writing down her dreams and reading back over them but not if it meant she would be endlessly tormented about it. Her father was all too eager to help her bury her journals at the bottom of the trunk that sat at the foot of her bed. It wasn't until she moved away and went to college that she finally started journalling again and she loved it.

After getting her notes down, she glanced over them and rubbed her temples. It wasn't nearly enough to fill half of a chapter and she hadn't even gotten a chance to see the ending of the dream. She placed the tablet back on her nightstand then went to see why it had gotten so hot in the house.

Olivia swung her legs over the side of the bed and let her bare feet hit the hardwood floor. It wasn't until then that she realized sweat was dripping down her body underneath her silk nightgown. After making a quick stop to the bathroom to clean herself off a little, she went to the thermostat in the hallway. The sooner she could lay back down, the sooner she could get back to sleep. She just prayed that the dream would pick up where it left off.

While the air was on, the digital screen read that it was 86 degrees in the house. After pushing a few buttons, she realized she had absolutely no clue what she was doing. She almost laughed at herself for even trying to figure out what the problem was. She was good at a lot of things but handiwork definitely wasn't one of them.

She couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to make it through the whole night like this. It wasn't that she wasn't used to the California heat but it was sweltering in the house. After turning the system off and on again, it started to buzz and make a loud noise. She sighed and decided the best thing to do would just be to leave it off.

The only person she knew that could help her in this situation was Fitz and she really didn't want to bother him this late at night. It was 2:30am and she was pretty sure he was asleep. She knew that he got up early to work on his morning chores and she really didn't want to mess with his routine. He would just have to add the air conditioning to the list of things that he had to fix tomorrow.

She went to the living room and started searching through a few boxes that had been left unpacked. She was almost positive that she saw Abbey throw a fan or something into one of them and she would kill to have it right now. Using a kitchen knife, she started bursting through the tape on top of the boxes.

After almost an hour of searching, she hadn't had any luck on finding the fan and had succeeded on making herself even hotter during her frantic search. She plopped down on the living room floor and a tear rolled down her cheek. As much fun as she was having with Fitz, living in Knights Ferry had been more than frustrating. Now that her air was out, she was really missing Sacramento. The built up stress from the week was all hitting her at once.

She was definitely homesick.

Olivia eyed her car keys that were sitting on the coffee table and debated putting on some clothes and going back. She could just send Harrison to come and get her things later and she could be back in her cozy penthouse in time to get coffee with the girls in the morning. She wouldn't have to worry about people spray painting her house or people looking at her funny while she walked around town or her air conditioning going out in the middle of the summer because she'd be home.

Olivia reached for her keys but then pulled her hand back. She couldn't leave Fitz even if she tried. As long as he was in Knights Ferry, she was stuck in Knights Ferry. She let out a light laugh as she realized how fast she managed to grow emotionally attached to him.

With a defeated sigh, she rose from her sitting position on the floor and went back into her kitchen. After opening up the refrigerator, she pulled out a cold bottle of water and held it to her chest to try and cool down.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

When Fitz woke up at 5am, he had a huge smile plastered across his face. He was still pretty buzzed from spending the previous day with Olivia and the fact that they were going to be together again in the next few hours excited him even more. He thought about texting her and saying good morning but realized it was way too early and he really didn't want to disturb her. He definitely didn't want a grumpy Olivia on his hands.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got dressed quickly then made his way downstairs. Fitz couldn't help but smile when he saw his brimmed hat on the rack next to the one she wore last time she visited. Having little reminders of her around the house made his heart flutter in a way he didn't want to admit to anyone else. She had accidentally left her coconut, shea and hibiscus body wash in his bathroom and he was swooned to say the least. The whole 2nd floor smelled of _her_.

He opted to skip breakfast since he knew he and Olivia would be eating together a little later so he just grabbed a bottle of water and headed towards the front door. Before he could walk out, he heard whimpering coming from the living room. He sighed as he remembered the small dog that was sitting in a kennel in the corner near the couch. While the other dogs were able to roam around freely, he was much too small to participate. Fitz would have to walk and feed him individually.

'Come here you little spoiled brat.' he grunted and bent over to pick the dog up who proceeded to stretch his neck to lick his cheek. Fitz's nose crinkled a little but he allowed the affection. 'Don't think I'm going to spoil you because you're throwing some kisses my way. I don't sway as easily as Olivia. That means no human food today,' he spoke authoritatively as if the dog was understanding exactly what he said.

The dog cocked his head at him but then continued to lick his cheek. Fitz chuckled in spite of himself and went to start on his morning chores. If he was completely honest, he had to admit that he was a little jealous of the pup. Watching Olivia coo and fawn over him made Fitz a tad bit more upset than he'd like to admit.

After feeding the animals and watering the plants, he took a few soil samples from the greenhouse and some fur samples from the cows and goats. He had been working on some separate projects for the past few months and he would be presenting his research next year in New York in front of his peers. Fitz dropped his new samples off in his makeshift lab housed in his basement then went to take a shower and get ready to head over to Olivia's house.

Fitz glanced at himself in the mirror and shook his head as he reached for his electric razor. He wanted to be clean cut before he went to her house. The fact that Olivia was accepting all of his affection was a shocker to him. He didn't lead the most glamorous life and the smell of manure coming from his work shirt in the corner definitely reminded him of that. Now, alone in his bathroom, he couldn't help but wonder why in the world anyone of her stature would want him.

He shook his head of his negative thoughts and smiled as he patted some aftershave on his face. He had every intention on treating her like the princess she was as long as she would have him. Fitz grabbed some clean clothes and started getting dressed so he could leave.

While Fitz didn't want to smother her, he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried for her safety. Obviously somebody wasn't very happy about them being together and they had went so far as to go to her home and vandalize it. Whoever this person was was probably capable of doing much more than breaking a few windows. He had thought about spending the night with her last night and just making sure that nothing else happened but had decided against it.

With a pep in his step, Fitz headed towards the shed behind his house that house a lot of his tools and other junk his grandfather had left there. He balanced his phone between his shoulder and ear after dialing Olivia's number. It was a particularly hot day so he chose a gray t-shirt, a pair of tennis shoes instead of his work boots, and he switched his wide brimmed hat out for a baseball cap to shield his eyes from the unforgiving sun.

Olivia's phone rang a few times then went to voicemail. Fitz knew she should've been up by now so he tried her number again while he gathered his tools together in his toolbox. He was now greatly regretting not spending the night at her place.

The phone went to voicemail again and now he was worried. While he didn't want to believe that anyone in Knights Ferry would hurt Olivia, it didn't keep his mind from wandering. After getting all his tools in the back of his truck he called her number again and prayed that she picked the phone up.

Fitz waited on the line for a few moments before the voicemail played for the third time that morning. He quickly hopped in his truck and sped off towards the front gate. It usually took about 10 minutes to get from his farm to her house but he was determined to set a record this morning.

* * *

Jake was sitting on the side of the road parked behind a bush eating a piece of burnt toast and drinking from a cup of coffee. Although he technically had last night off, he opted to go on patrol and let his deputy stay at home with his wife. He was aware that Olivia's air conditioning would have been malfunctioning late that night and it made him a little upset that she didn't call him. He was the sheriff after all and he was supposed to be there to help the residents when needed.

He knew Mellie had drained all the Freon out of the system and he conveniently had some in the back of the squad car. After he fixed her problem, she was going to be so thankful that she ran into his arms and kissed him and then they would be free from Fitz. Of course he would apologize for standing her up the other night and admit that he was the biggest idiot in the world and he just knew she'd forgive him. _It was the perfect plan._

It _would've_ been the perfect plan if Olivia had just played along. He had kept a watchful eye on her house all night and saw that she hadn't left and nobody came so he assumed that she was just in the house suffering. He had gained a sense of satisfaction in knowing that she hadn't called Fitz to help her, either. Obviously they weren't close enough for late night calls just yet. As much as he hated to think about her inside burning up, it wouldn't have had to be that way if she wasn't so damned stubborn. He was obviously the right person for her, he just needed her to see it.

He sluggishly rubbed his eyes and now regretted taking the night shift. He hadn't had a good nights sleep in the past few days and last nights sacrifice proved itself to be a waste of his time. He and Mellie were going to come up with something else later on this week. They were going to make sure that every moment Fitz and Olivia were together that there would be issues.

Just as Jake was yawning and relaxing back into his seat, he saw Fitz's truck speed by where he was hiding. The radar on his dashboard showed that he was at least going 75 mph but the speed limit around town was 20. He chuckled darkly and tossed his remaining toast out the window and started the car up to go after Fitz.

Fitz glanced in his rearview mirror and could see the flashing lights behind him. He banged his hand down on his steering wheel in frustration as he pulled over to the side of the road. He really didn't have time to play games with Jake this morning.

Jake could tell Fitz was in a rush to get to wherever he was going so he took his time getting out of his car and walking over to Fitz. This was going to be fun. He cleared his throat loudly and rested his hands on his hips. 'License and registration please, sir.'

Fitz rolled his eyes and pulled his license and insurance information out of his wallet in his back pocket and handed it over to Jake.

'I don't think this is a real license. This doesn't even look like you in the picture.' Jake said skeptically as he held the card up to Fitz's face as if he was comparing the picture to him.

'Are you kidding me? Jake you were literally with me when I got it.' Fitz's eyebrows raised. Now this was getting ridiculous.

'That's Sheriff Ballard to you, civilian.' Jake gave him a pointed look before handing his belongings back over. 'I'll let it slide this one time with this phony form of identification. And where exactly were you headed in such a rush?'

'To my girlfriend's house.' Fitz said smugly, knowing his comment would make Jake absolutely boil inside. He and Olivia had never discussed any official title for their relationship and he would never pressure her into one but seeing Jake squirm was satisfying. He had to look straight forward to stop himself from laughing at his pained expression.

'That's no excuse for going over the limit. Knights Ferry is a family friendly area and we don't need you rolling over our children in this oversized bucket of bolts.' Jake kicked the side of Fitz's truck, leaving a light scuff on the black paint.

' _This truck cost more than you make in a year_.' Fitz thought to himself but didn't voice out loud. He had the nicest vehicle in Knights Ferry before Olivia came cruising in her BMW the previous week.

'Bucket of bolts, huh?' he turned to face Jake, his expression now serious. 'Look, I know you have something to do with Olivia's house getting messed up and you better pray to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit that I don't find any concrete evidence because if I do, I'm kicking your ass.'

Jake raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised at Fitz's boldness. The two men sat there, sizing each other up. While Fitz had never caused him any bodily harm, Jake was well aware that he was weaker than his friend. Knowing he wouldn't win anything physical against him, he scoffed and took out his ticket notebook. This would have to do for now.

'Threatening an officer of the law? Not a smart move, Mr. Grant.' Jake handed him two citations, one for speeding and the other for a 'Failure To Cooperate'.

'It wasn't a threat, Jacob Hamilton. It's a promise.' he snatched the tickets from Jake's hands and threw them in the glove compartment.

'Have a good day with your **friend girl** , sir. Hope you guys can stay out of the heat.' he smiled deviously as he headed back towards his car, slightly buzzed knowing that he had won this round. He watched Fitz drive away then called Mellie.

After he was out of Jake's line of sight, Fitz pressed back down on the gas headed towards Olivia's place. He hadn't even glanced down at the tickets and was tempted to just throw them out the window. He'd pay whatever fine Jake had written down as long as he knew Olivia was safe.

He pulled up to her house in the next minute and didn't even bother locking the doors of his truck as he got out. Her car was still in the driveway but her front door was wide open and that caused his mind to start racing again. _What if somebody had kicked the door open? What if they had taken her?_

Fitz's heart nearly raced out of his chest as he jogged up to the front door and made his way in. As he entered into the front door he could smell food being prepared and music was playing from somewhere in the house. He walked into the small kitchen and his shoulders immediately relaxed as he saw her at the stove cooking.

He wanted to make his presence known but he needed a second to catch his breath and calm himself down. Maybe he was being a little irrational this morning but it was way better to be safe than sorry.

She was a dream in her black, yoga tights and pink tank top. Her hair was pushed up into a high bun on her head and he had to assume she had just gotten done working out as he noticed sweat glistening off the exposed skin of her arms. He held onto his chest as he felt his heart finally start to slow down.

Olivia had been listening to Abbey's 'Country Mixtape' all morning long and had propped her doors and windows open to try and get some air flowing through the house. She normally hated country music but the songs were starting to grow on her. After drinking almost her entire supply of bottled water and taking a cold bath, she was able to get to sleep. Still unaware of Fitz's presence, she danced and sang along with the music playing from her speakers.

' _I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor, we can go slow or make it go faster. Down through the woods and out to the pasture, Long as I'm with you it really don't matter, climb up in my lap and drive if you want to-_ ' Olivia picked up the two plates she had made for them and turned to set them on the table, swiveling her hips to the music in the process, when she saw Fitz standing in the kitchen doorway. Startled and embarrassed, she yelped and dropped both plates on the floor.

'Fitz!' she crossed her arms across her body as if she was shielding herself away from his gaze. She didn't know how long he had been standing there but she was now mortified and felt highly exposed.

'Sorry, sorry.' he said through his laughter, tears streaming down his eyes. 'Your door was wide open.' he reminded as he took a few steps towards her. He could tell she was a bit flustered about being caught but he didn't want her to feel that way. There was no reason she should be embarrassed about anything around him.

Fitz grabbed her arms and pushed them down by her sides before intertwining their fingers. With a warm smile, he pressed his lips gently against hers until her body relaxed against his, their forms molding into one.

'Hi.' he murmured against her full lips before releasing her fingers and moving his hands to her waist to hold her closer to him. She loved how small and petite she felt in his arms. Olivia had become his personal piece of fine china to hold and handle.

'Hi.' she smiled softly then snaked her arms around his waist, wrapping him into a hug. She let her cheek rest on the soft cotton of his t-shirt and took in his clean scent. Being bundled away in his strong arms beat being in Sacramento any day. He couldn't have known that he was the only thing that kept her in Knights Ferry last night.

'Big Green Tractor?' he questioned her song choice with a sly grin. The similarities of the song and their relationship wasn't lost on him, he was just surprised she was listening to it.

'Shut up.' she pouted, still embarrassed. 'You made me drop our breakfast.'

'No, I didn't.' he chuckled lowly. 'You're just a klutz, Olivia.'

'You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I was only a few seconds away from beating you up. I took a self-defense class I'll have you know.' she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. Her tone was serious but the smile on her face gave her away. 'You should be more careful.'

'Wow, I'm so terrified. Thank goodness you have such great self-restraint because I could've seriously gotten hurt.' he played along with her little tough guy act. Fitz loved to indulge her silly side and had a feeling that not too many people got the pleasure of seeing it. 'You're right. Next time I wont come inside a front door that's been left wide open.' he smirked and laid a kiss on her hairline. 'Why do you have all this stuff open, anyway?'

Olivia sighed. 'The air went out last night and I'm just trying to let the breeze in.'

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed and his lips turned downwards in a frown when he thought about her sitting in the heat all night long. 'What time did it go off?'

'I'm not sure. When I got up at like 3 it was almost 90 degrees in the house. I took a cold shower and went back to sleep.'

'Why didn't you call me? You could've spent the night at my place.'

'Well, I know that you usually get up around 5 to start on your chores and I didn't want to disturb your last few hours of sleep. I was fine.' she reassured with a weak smile.

'Hey.' he squeezed down a little tighter on her waist and looked her in the eyes. 'No matter how late or early it is, you're free to call me. I don't like the fact that you sat in a hot box all night.'

'Well, you're here now and now you can fix it.' she grinned and unwrapped herself from his arms to grab the broom from the beside the refrigerator.

Fitz grabbed the dustpan and kneeled down, holding it in place while she swept the remnants of their breakfast into it. 'I'm serious about what I said, Olivia. Even if you just want to call and talk to me, don't hesitate. We're friends.'

Olivia snorted and stopped sweeping so that she could look him in the eyes. 'Fitz, we're not friends.'

'We're good friends.' he said with conviction.

'Good friends don't make out with each other whenever they get too close.' she stood the broom up straight and leaned her weight over to her right leg. 'Good friends go get drinks and talk about the weather.'

'Well, then we're great friends.'

'Great friends don't cuddle in bed.' her nose crinkled.

'Sometimes they do.' he objected.

Olivia playfully rolled her eyes. 'Okay, sometimes they do. But, great friends don't cuddle in bed and kiss.'

Fitz snickered, now genuinely curious about how she saw their relationship. 'What are we then, Olivia?'

'I don't know.' she admitted with a soft smiled. Olivia extended her arm to help him stand to his feet. Leaving the dustpan on the floor, Fitz took her hand and pulled himself up so that he could stand up straight.

'Lets see, Miss Pope.' he tapped his pointer finger to his chin a few times as if in deep thought. 'We kiss and cuddle and I've taken you out on 3 official dates, I've fed you my grandmother's home made ice-cream and I've let you name 2 of my cows. I think the term you're looking for would be "girlfriend"' he put the word in air quotes.

'And why exactly would you want to date me, Dr. Grant?' she let the broom go and it fell to the floor. Olivia held her hands behind her back and looked up at him coyly.

'So I can kiss you whenever I want.' he said with a nonchalant grin.

'Maybe we don't need a title.' Olivia softly mumbled. 'We're just going with the flow.' she took a step closer to him.

'You can go with the flow all you want but if I catch another man trying to woo you, I'm kicking his ass.' he playfully growled and grabbed her by her waist, causing Olivia to break out into a fit of giggles.

Before Olivia could make another comment, his mouth was back on hers for the second time this morning. It had to have been some type of mystical magnet inside of him that kept attracting their lips together and molded the curves of her body perfectly against his.

Without breaking their kiss, Fitz hoisted her up by her waist and walked her over to the countertop and sat her down on top of it. Olivia spread her legs so that he could settle in between them and her hands moved up to play with the chocolate curls that adorned his scalp. She flipped his baseball cap off his head and it fell to the floor next to his feet.

Using her nails, she lightly scratched and grazed the crown of his head, causing him to let out an appreciative moan into her mouth. Olivia treaded lightly down to his ears and allowed her thumb to graze against one of them and his knees nearly buckled underneath him. She chuckled lowly and took his ear in between her thumb and pointer fingers, gently tugging and massaging it.

Fitz's breath hitched at this new sensation and his lips broke away from hers. She couldn't help the triumphant smile on her face, knowing that she had found the spot that would make him moan and tremble. Truthfully, she wanted to learn everything about the man that seemed to have captured her heart.

Olivia bit down on his bottom lip just as his stomach emitted a low growl. She giggled softly. 'Way to ruin the mood, Fitz.'

'I'm sorry but you haven't fed me all day.' he smiled and pecked her lips softly.

'Our breakfast is in the dustpan because of you.' she huffed and hung her arms on his shoulders.

'Well, lets eat something quick so I can see whats going on with your air conditioning.' Fitz ran his thumb across her plump lips, letting it linger there. 'I don't want you to spend another day in this hot box.'

Olivia smiled and nodded her head and hopped down from the countertop. She grabbed two bowls and a box of Honeynut Cheerios from her cabinet then got the milk from the refrigerator. As she poured the cereal into the first bowl, a toy fell from the box. Fitz quickly grabbed it before could.

'Hey! Give that back, mister!' she put the box down and crossed her arms.

'I'm the guest Olivia which means I get to play with all cereal toys first.' he said matter of factly.

Olivia scoffed and took a step towards him, her crossed arms now pressed against his chest. 'That's not true. At least let me see what it is.' she reached to grab it but Fitz held it above her head.

'You're a horrid hostess.' he smirked as she tried to stand on the tips of her toes and get the toy out of his hands. 'And short.'

'Am I short or are you just freakishly tall?' she asked as she hopped up to try and get the toy again. She managed to grab his wrist but wasn't strong enough to pull it down.

'I'm not giving you the toy, Olivia.' he held it behind his back.

'Ya, because I'm going to take it from you.' she said smugly as she attempted to reach behind his back and grab it but his grip was way too strong for her to pry it from his fingers.

Fitz couldn't help but laugh at her futile attempt. He kept the toy wrapped tightly in his left hand used his right arm to wrap around her waist. After a few minutes of trying, Olivia gave up and huffed back over to the counter to finish making their cereal.

'And you say I'm the mean one. You're terrible.' she said as she placed his bowl on the table in front of where he'd be sitting then sat across from him.

'This coming from the woman who told me I was a 2 on a scale of 1-10.' he chuckled and took a bite of his cereal.

'I'm not talking to you anymore after you fix my air.' she said, crossing her legs and pulling her phone out of the waist band of her yoga pants to change the song that was playing on the speakers in the kitchen.

Fitz smirked and shook his head then looked down at the toy that he was still holding in his hands. It was a small white race care with red and orange flames painted on the side of it.

He held the toy up so that she could see it. 'Look, Olivia.'

'I'm not speaking to you right now, Fitzgerald.' she said, her voice full of counterfeit harshness. She was holding her phone in her left hand and her cereal spoon in her right.

Fitz sighed dramatically but then smiled as he got an idea. He got up from the table and went to the living room where she had her laptop and notebooks. Olivia wondered what he was up to but refused to play along with him. He would have to learn his lesson about teasing her.

Sitting on the coffee table in the living room was a cup full of writing utensils so Fitz grabbed a few of the markers and headed back to the kitchen. He sat back down in his seat and took the red marker and drew a heart on the hood of the white car and rolled it towards Olivia.

The car tapped Olivia's cereal bowl and she grabbed it. She playfully scoffed at Fitz's gesture of reconciliation and grabbed the red marker from the table. Using her thumb, she wiped the ink from the heart away and drew something then launched it over to where Fitz was.

Fitz grabbed the car and chuckled. She had drawn a little face that was frowning and looked extremely angry. He wiped the ink from her drawing off of the toy and grabbed the blue marker and proceeded to make his response. After finishing, he rolled his gesture back over to her.

Olivia sucked her teeth as she grabbed Fitz's response. He had drawn a little face with tears streaming down its eyes. She grabbed the brown marker and erased the crying face to draw her own response then sent it towards Fitz.

He grabbed the car and gasped. Olivia had drawn a hand with it's middle finger up. Fitz didn't have to look up to see her reaction because he could hear her snickering. He erased the offensive drawing then grabbed the black marker then rolled it her way.

"I'm Sorry" was written on top of the car when Olivia picked it up. She glanced up at him to see he had his bottom lip poked out and he was making whimpering noises. After writing her response, she rolled it back to him.

"Prove It"

Fitz wiped the ink off of the car and thought for a moment to himself. Olivia watched him, resting her chin in her hands. As corny as they were being at the moment, she couldn't help but to enjoy it. She hoped they'd never get out of this stage of just being silly and open together.

After almost a minute of thinking, Fitz rose to his feet and walked over to where Olivia was standing and extended his hand to her. She scoffed and crossed her arms, wanting to make it difficult for him. He chuckled and grabbed her by her forearms and pulled her up to her feet then grabbed her phone. Fitz searched through her music playlist then snapped his fingers when he found something perfect.

 _Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it_  
 _I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted_  
 _I fell right through the cracks_  
 _Now I'm trying to get back_

'You want me to prove it to you. I'm going to prove it.' he said with a grin as he forced her to uncross her arms. He looped his arms around her waist and forced her to sway to the music with him. She huffed and looked away from him, fighting the smile about to overcome her face.

 _Before the cool done run out_  
 _I'll be giving it my bestest_  
 _And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention._  
 _I reckon, it's again my turn_  
 _To win some or learn some._

 _But I won't hesitate_  
 _No more, no more._  
 _It cannot wait,_  
 _I'm yours._

'You're not going to talk to me?' he nudged the side of her face with his nose and she shook her head. 'Say something to me, Livvie.' he murmured against her ear.

Her breath involuntarily hitched. She usually hated nicknames, even somebody calling her Liv would annoy her, but this was different. Olivia didn't know if it was because it was so cute or if it was because it was coming from Fitz or if it was the way he whispered it against her ear but she loved it. She kept her knees from buckling under her as she continued to sway with the music. She wasn't going to give in to him that easily.

 _Well, open up your mind and see like me,_  
 _Open up your plans and damn you're free._  
 _Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love._  
 _Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing, we're just one big family_  
 _And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved_

'Olivia, you're going to force me to sing and I've already told you I'm horrible at it.' he pressed further as he pulled her body closer to his and sped the tempo of their dancing up a little.

Olivia shook her head again but finally draped her arms around his shoulders. She still refused to even look at him and that made Fitz laugh.

' _There's no need to complicate, our time is short, this is our fate, I'm yours_.' Fitz sang lowly but with conviction, causing her to softly giggle. He could slowly see her resolve slipping away

' _Do you want to come on, scooch on over closer, dear, and I will nibble your ear_ ' he took her ear in between his lips and she started laughing a little louder. Fitz held her tighter as she attempted to squirm and get away from him.

'Look at me, Livvie.'he urged but she still wouldn't turn her head towards him. 'You're so mean to me. You're the meanest little woman I know.' Fitz mumbled before pressing his nose into the side of her face and laying kisses along her neck.

' _Well, open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free. Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours_ ' he sang along with the chorus before grabbing her hand spinning her around. Making sure she was secure in his arms, he dipped her body backwards.

Olivia squealed and grabbed hold of his arms, wanting to make sure she didn't fall. 'Fitz!' she yelled through her laughter. _Why was being with him so easy?_

Fitz brought her back to her feet and grinned. 'Are you speaking to me again?'

'Yes.' she smiled up at him before burying her face into his chest while they continued to sway along to Jason Mraz's voice. She had basically forgotten how hot it was in the house.

It was moments like these that made every moment of staying in Knights Ferry completely worth it.

* * *

 ** _So next chapter we're going to see the return of Donald and see what happens when he gets his pictures of Olivia and Fitz online. The romance is definitely in the air in Knights Ferry._**

 ** _S/N: So, I'm leaving soon. Not from writing but I have an internship in DC starting early June. I have absolutely nothing packed and I'm completely unprepared so if I go missing for a little while, know its for a good cause lol._**

 ** _Please enjoy this chapter and send me your thoughts and reviews! I really enjoy interacting with you guys and talking about the story!_**


	7. Maybe For The Week

**Yall's reviews really do make my day. You guys are hilarious. Anyway, happy Tuesday and read and review!**

* * *

After their dance, Olivia plopped herself down into Fitz's lap so that they could eat together. She absentmindedly checked a few emails while eating but he didn't mind. He understood that she needed to get work done, too.

'Did you bring that piece of paper where you wrote down they payment list?' Olivia asked, breaking the silence of their meal up.

'As a matter of fact, I did.' he nodded his head.

'Are you going to actually let me pay you?' she stood from up from his lap and grabbed their empty cereal bowls and put them in the sink. She would just have to wash them later.

'Yes.' he sighed and ran his fingers through his thick wavy hair. 'But I told you, I don't want your money.' his voice went an octave lower and he gave her a serious look. 'I'm definitely not in this for the money.'

'But I'm not going to let you pimp yourself out for free labor.' she turned to him and crossed her arms. 'Let me go get my checkbook from my purse. We can discuss a price for the air conditioner later.'

Fitz gave her a reluctant smile then nodded his head and watched on as she triumphantly marched out of the kitchen. The last thing he wanted was Olivia's money but she was being extremely stubborn about the situation. He pulled the sheet of paper out of his back pocket and waited for her to return.

Olivia returned a few moments later with her checkbook in one hand and a pen in the other. She stood next to where he was sitting and held her hand out to him. 'Alright, let me see it.'

'Okay but Olivia.. I really don't want you to have to pay me. I'm actually glad that I can do these little things for you. I'm just tightening up a few screws here and there.' he tried to reason with her while holding the paper tightly in his digits.

'But you agreed to let me do this.' she snapped the fingers of her outstretched hand. 'Hand it over, Grant. Let me do this for you.'

Fitz sighed but handed the paper over to her and sat back in his seat. Most women he knew would love to have somebody over at their house making free repairs so he definitely didn't understand why she was so determined to give him money.

'Now that wasn't so hard, was it?' she smiled and opened up the folded sheet of paper to start analyzing what he had written down.

Leaky Faucet (Kitchen): 1,000,000,000  
Leaky Faucet (Bathroom): 3,000,000,000  
Broken Light Fixture (Living Room): 2,000,000,000  
Broken Tiles (Kitchen): 30,000,000,000

Olivia rolled her eyes and folded the list again to see that he was snickering behind his hand. Obviously this wasn't a battle he was going to let her win. Instead of starting up a pointless argument, she decided to play along with his little game.

'These prices are outrageous!' she roared and slammed the paper down on the table. She wanted to wipe the little smug look off of his face but she couldn't bring herself to be upset with him.

'Well, ma'am, I'm the only person in town with the expertise to spruce this place up.' he said in a matter of fact tone. 'Either you pay me to do the work or your house is going to fall into shambles around you.'

'But I cant afford this.' she facetiously huffed. 'There has to be another way for you to collect your payment.'

'Hmm.' he hummed and stood up from his seat, taking in the cute little pouty face she was making. 'Well, there is one way but I don't think you're going to like it very much.' he wrapped his arms securely around her waist, bringing her body to his so that they were pressed together.

'I have someone that I'm romantically involved with, sir.' she shot him a pointed look. 'And I don't think he'd be very happy to hear what you're implying. He's a pretty tough guy, too. He could probably beat you up.'

'Well, then we better make sure he doesn't find out.' Fitz wiggled his eyebrows at her. 'Now, Miss Pope, how will you be paying me today? Cash or kisses?'

'I suppose one little kiss wont hurt too much.' she smiled shyly at him before raising herself on the tips of her toes.

'I thought you'd see it my way.' he grinned and met her halfway before pressing their lips together.

* * *

Fitz grabbed his toolbox from the back of his truck and pulled a small flashlight out of it to further inspect the system. His eyebrows furrowed as he used a screwdriver to remove the plastic casing over the wires.

'You said it was making a noise?' he handed her the flashlight.

'Ya. It was really weird and loud.' she bent over so that she could shine the light in his line of vision.

'What type of noise?' he asked while placing his fingers on the copper wires.

'I don't know.' she shrugged. She tried to imitate the sound it made but failed miserably at it. Fitz burst into laughter at her attempt and almost fell back on his butt. 'Hey! Its not funny!' she smacked his shoulder with the flashlight in her hands.

'I'm sorry!' he wiped a tear away from his eye. 'It's just that I know for a fact that this unit did not make the sound of a dying dog.'

'Just tell me what's wrong with it, Mr. Handyman.' she huffed and stood up straight, crossing her arms across her chest.

'Well, its out of Freon.' he rose to his feet and stood in front of her. 'Which is strange because Mayor Holland was supposed to be doing maintenance on the house before you got here. The tank should've been full.' his eyebrows furrowed.

'Is it broken?' she asked, ignoring the fact that she had absolutely no clue what Freon was. She supposed that detail didn't matter since Fitz was the one that was going to be doing all the fixing. She was just happy she got to watch him walk around doing manly things and hoped he'd put on the tool belt she spotted in the back of his truck.

It was crazy how Fitz just being himself turned her on. If her air had gone out in Sacramento, any of her past boyfriends would have just called a repair guy and let them handle it. There was just something about seeing Fitz out in the hot sun handling business that she found extremely sexy.

'Can't be. The system is brand new. I'm not much of a detective but I think that whoever broke your windows and painted the wall drained the tank out yesterday.' his tone was apologetic. He hated that all of this was happening to her.

Olivia sighed. This was getting to be a bit much for her. Being with Fitz seemed so easy and simple at first but it definitely came with a cost. 'Do you have an ex or something that I need to know about? Any scorned lovers or hearts you left aching?' she asked as they headed back into the house.

Fitz's mind immediately went to Mellie but he shook those thoughts out of his head. She was wound a bit too tight but he didn't think she was capable of anything like this. 'Nope. If it makes you feel any better, Jake wrote me a ticket this morning.'

'A ticket for what?' she asked as she propped the front door back open and went to the kitchen to grab some bottles of water for them. She would definitely have to go to the store for more soon. They had been drinking like fishes for the past few hours.

'I was driving 100mph to get here.' he said honestly as he plopped down on the sofa and removed his cap then scratched his head. He placed it on the coffee table in front of him then sat back on the couch.

'Why were you driving so fast to get here?' she tossed him a bottle then sat down on the cushion beside him. As much as she wanted to tuck herself away into his side, it was almost 12 in the afternoon and the heat was getting to be a bit much. They'd probably both pass out if they were cuddling.

'I was a bit worried about you.' he ran his fingers through his hair. 'Somebody obviously has it out for you and they know where you live. When you didn't answer your phone this morning I guess I let my imagination get the best of me.'

Olivia had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. If one more person said they were 'worried' about her, she may scream. After seeing the look of genuine concern on his face, she took his hand. 'So he gave you a speeding ticket?'

'And one for disrespect or something like that. I didn't even read them. I just wanted to get here to make sure you were ok.'

'You're sweet.' she smiled and kissed his cheek. 'I'm sorry for not answering my phone. It must have still been on Do Not Disturb from my yoga session this morning. I didn't mean to worry you. I would offer to pay the tickets but I already know you're going to say-'

'Absolutely not.' he finished her sentence then gulped down the rest of his water, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. 'Alright, macho man. Where do we get this Freon stuff from? We're going to die soon if we don't get the air turned back on.'

'I'll call Mayor Holland and see if he has some. I'm sure he'll be happy to help us out. If not we're going to have to make another road trip.' he reached in his back pocket and pulled his phone out and dialed the number. 'Why don't we go sit in the truck until he makes it? I'll turn on the air.' he wiggled his eyebrows.

'Sounds like a plan.' she smiled and nodded and went to grab them a few snacks from the kitchen.

Mayor Holland groaned loudly when he looked down at his phone and saw the name 'Dr. Grant' appear on the screen. He knew Fitz wasn't the type of guy to just call and say hello so something must have been wrong. He and Olivia were going to give him a heart attack if they kept having issues.

'Hello?' he answered timidly, praying that this had nothing to do with Olivia. He subconsciously put his hand over his crotch as he remembered Abbey's warning about castrating him. He had a very disturbing nightmare last night on the matter and he was feeling especially insecure today.

'Hi, Mayor, this is Dr. Grant. I'm calling because I'm at Olivia's house and-' Fitz heard the Mayor's breath hitch but ignored him. 'Somebody has drained all the Freon from her system. It's almost 100 degrees in the house.'

'Where is she? Has she called her manager to tell her about this?' he asked nervously as he began to fidget and pace around his house.

'What?' his eyebrows furrowed. 'I don't know. I don't think so. I just wanted to know if you had any extra at your house. I really want to get this taken care of.'

'Of course, of course!' he said hurriedly. 'I'll be there quick as a wink! Just tell her she doesn't have to call anybody because we're going to take care of her. All right?'

'Sure thing, Mayor.' Fitz hung the phone up, now thoroughly confused about the Mayor's nervous tone. It wasn't like him to be so jumpy but he just assumed that Mrs. Holland was giving him some trouble today and left it alone.

Olivia walked back into the living room and smiled hopefully at him. She had a family sized bag of chips in her arms and 2 more bottles of water. 'Is he coming?'

'He said he'd be here quick as a wink.' he stood up from the couch and held his arm out to her so that he could escort her out to the truck. After helping her in, he hopped in the driver's seat and turned the air on. 'Why didn't you just sit in your car last night?'

Olivia's face flushed and she turned her attention down to the bag of chips in her hands. 'It's stupid. You're going to laugh at me.'

'No, I won't' he said sincerely. He reached over and took one of her hands in his.

She turned to face him and opened her mouth to answer his question until something caught her eye out the window. Her eyebrows raised. 'Is that Mayor Holland running up the hill?'

'What?' Fitz turned to look out the window and almost laughed at the sight before him. The Mayor was sprinting up the sidewalk in a 3-pieced suit with a small tank of Freon in his arms. He had never seen the man so much as jog so this was definitely a surprise.

After realizing his wife had taken their vehicle into town, Mayor Holland did the next best thing and grabbed the tank of Freon and started running towards Olivia's house. He couldn't recall doing this much exercising since elementary school and this uphill sprint would surely be the death of him. Once he found out who was causing all these problems for Olivia, he would personally kill them in the middle of the town's square.

Fitz and Olivia got out of the truck to greet the Mayor who promptly fell on his butt in the grass after handing the tank over to Fitz.

'W.. Wa.. Water!' he wheezed out as his large stomach moved up and down. He really needed to catch his breath. He flopped back on his back and let his arms shield his eyes away from the bright sun.

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle as he took the tank and headed towards the unit of the side of the house and Olivia went to get a bottle of water from the house. She helped him sit up straight and held the bottle up to his mouth so that he could drink.

'Are you ok, Mayor?' she asked as she lightly rubbed circles on his back.

'I've been better.' he managed to say although his breath was ragged. 'Miss Pope, I'm so sorry this is happening to you.'

'It's ok.' she muttered even though it wasn't. 'Fitz has been really helpful and the kids washed all the paint off my house yesterday and fixed the windows.'

He sighed with relief. At least some of the citizens were being hospitable. 'You haven't called your manager about these issues, have you? I feel as if we can handle all of these things in house. No need to go bothering her all the way out in Sacramento.'

Olivia smirked. She could only imagine the types of things Abbey had been saying to poor Mayor Holland over the past few weeks. Her best friend was definitely a firecracker. 'No, sir, I haven't. I suppose there's no need to have her all worked up about things she cant fix. Would you like me to drive you back home?'

'I'd hate to get my sweat all in that pretty little car of yours.' he said, gesturing over to her BMW.

'I'm sure Fitz won't mind me taking his truck since he has me blocked in, anyway. Let me go get the keys and we can go.' she smiled sweetly at him and stood to her feet and walked over to where Fitz was.

Mayor Holland laid back down on his back and got a clear view of them talking. Of course he had heard the rumors that they had been together but he hadn't realized how close they had actually gotten. He only figured it was just a physical attraction but watching them interact told him a completely different story.

'Can I have your keys? I'm going to go drop the Mayor off at his place so he won't die walking back home.' she held her hands behind her back, curiously watching on as Fitz fiddled around with the system.

'I've seen the way the Mayor looks at you. No making out in my truck.' he facetiously warned before putting his tools down for a moment and turning his attention back to her.

'There's only one man I want to kiss in a truck.' she said honestly. Olivia smiled coyly at him before taking a step closer.

'Mhm.' he hummed his approval. 'What's his name?'

'Well, it starts with an F and-' before she could finish her sentence, he had his arms wrapped around her waist and was attacking the side of her face and neck with kisses. She squealed and squirmed around in his strong arms but was unable to get away. 'Fitz, stop!'

Fitz couldn't stop at this point even if he tried. Keeping his hands off of her was proving to be a very difficult task. While they were dancing earlier, he found a ticklish spot on her neck right below her right ear and he nibbled there. Olivia laughed and tried turning her head but he wasn't having it.

Her small hands pressed against his chest and she tried pushing him off of her but he simply pinned her body between him and the house. She wasn't going to get away that easily. Tears began streaming down her eyes as she laughed harder.

The Mayor's face turned beat red and he contemplated looking away. He felt more like a sneaky fly on the wall rather than a visitor at this point but he just couldn't will himself to turn his head. He and his wife had been together over 35 years and he doubted if even they had this type of chemistry.

Olivia finally managed to turn her head then got a look at the Mayor watching their interaction. Fitz was still peppering her with kisses so she had to swat at him to get him to stop. 'Mayor Holland is watching us.' she mumbled as she tried to catch her breath.

'That dirty pervert.' he said as if he was offended. Honestly, he was glad the Mayor saw them together. He wanted everybody to know his stance when it came down to Olivia. He'd kiss her in the church on Easter Sunday just so everybody in town could see. She was his.

'You're shameless.' she smirked and held her hand out to him.

Fitz pulled his truck keys out of his pocket and pretended to hand them over to her before dangling them above her head and out of her reach. She tried to jump and grab them but was unsuccessful.

'Hey!' she pouted. 'No fair.'

'There's a price for everything, Olivia.' he said suggestively as he puckered his lips and shut his eyes.

'God, you're annoying.' she smirked and rose on the tips of her toes and kissed him softly. 'May I have the keys now?'

'Yes, but don't be gone long. It's almost lunch time.' he handed her the keys.

'Annoying and bossy.' she crossed her arms cutely. 'You know, once I hit my growth spurt you wont be able to push me around anymore, right?'

'Olivia, I'll eat my hat when you hit your growth spurt.' he couldn't help but laugh as she playfully punched him in the gut.

'Make us some sandwiches when you get done outside, macho man.' she called out as she headed towards to where the Mayor was laying, swinging Fitz's keyring on her index finger.

After unlocking the truck doors, Olivia helped the Mayor rise to his feet and get into Fitz's truck. She got in on the driver's side and adjusted the it so that she could see out the window and backed out of the driveway.

'So..' Mayor Holland started. He wanted to ask her a few questions but didn't want to see rude, either. He played with his fingers. 'Dr. Grant lets you drive his truck?'

'Yes.' she snickered. 'This is only the second time. He trusts me with it.' she said confidently as she patted the leather of the center console with her right hand.

'I'm assuming that you two are getting pretty serious, then?'

Olivia rolled her eyes. She didn't think she'd ever get used to how nosy people were here. It was really nobodies business how serious their relationship was but she decided to indulge the Mayor. 'We're getting there.'

'Well, Fitzgerald is a prize to our community. Even though he only spent his summers here, we like to call him 'homegrown'. He went off and got that fancy college education and is putting it to good use. He's always so wrapped up in work, we didn't think he'd ever find somebody.'

'Was he wrapped up in his work or did he just not find the right woman in Knights Ferry?' Olivia glanced over at him, shooting him an almost devious look.

The Mayor's face heated up. 'I'm.. I'm not sure. I guess he was never really attracted to anybody here. All I know is that I'm glad he's found somebody.'

'Me too.' Olivia smirked as they pulled out at his house. 'Fitz and I go well together even though there's obviously somebody in town that isn't happy about that.'

The Mayor took his seat belt off and nodded his head reassuringly. 'And I swear to you, Miss Pope, we're going to find the lowlifes causing these issues and bring them to justice!'

Olivia studied him for a moment then nodded her head although she didn't believe a word he just said. 'Thanks, Mayor. We appreciate it.'

'Of course.' he hopped out of the truck. 'We're all a family here in Knights Ferry.' he emphasized before shutting the truck door and headed inside his house, still limping from his previous exercise.

She sighed and shook her head and backed out of the Mayor's driveway. If everybody in Knights Ferry was supposed to be a family, why did she not feel welcome here? Her cheeks warmed up slightly when she thought about Fitz. _Ok, maybe she felt a little welcomed._

Jake had been rolling around and doing some patrolling but, as usual, it was extremely quiet around town. It was near the end of his shift and he wanted nothing more than to go home, get some rest, and try to regroup with Mellie. As he rode along, Fitz's shiny black truck caught his eye and he smirked and decided to have a little fun with him. He sped up in his car and drove right up behind Olivia, tailgating the vehicle.

'The hell?' Olivia muttered and glanced up in her rear view mirror. She could see a smug little expression plastered on Jake's face and now she was slightly intimidated. After glancing down at the speedometer, she realized she was going a mile a little under the speed limit. In an attempt to get him off of her, she sped up just a little.

Jake could only snicker, still unaware that it was indeed Olivia driving the truck, and sped up behind her. Now feeling confident, he lightly tapped the back of the truck with his car.

Quickly going from intimidated to frightened, Olivia quickly grabbed her cellphone from the waistband of her tights and dialed Fitz's number and prayed that he answered. She sighed with relief when he picked up on the first ring. Of course he picked up on the first ring for her. He _always_ would.

'Hello?' he answered with a mouthful of food.

'Fitz, are you outside?' she asked, her voice cracking as she glanced back in the mirror at Jake. He bumped the back of the truck again and she squeaked in surprise. The sound of metal scraping made her skin crawl.

'No, I walked in to make lunch. What's wrong?' he had planned on making sandwiches for lunch but when he saw some ingredients for pasta he had put some noodles on. He quickly put the stove on low and started walking outside.

'I don't know. I was driving and Jake started driving really close behind me and he's been riding my tail and-' she was talking but not taking any breaths in between her words. She was barely even looking at the road anymore, just staring at Jake.

'Livvie, calm down.' he soothed. 'I'm outside right now. I can see you coming up the hill. Speed up a little bit, ok? I'm right here.' he said in the most reassuring tone he could. He had a feeling Jake didn't know Olivia was driving. Fitz didn't believe he would purposely be scaring her the way he was right then. As much as Jake seemed to claim that he and Olivia should be together, he was his worst enemy.

'Ok.' she sighed and sped up some more with some difficulty. She still wasn't used to driving something so large and going from 20-50 mph made her shudder a little.

Jake couldn't help but laugh as the truck sped up. He grabbed his ticket book from the passenger side and got a little giddy at the thought of writing Fitz up for the second time today. He saw the vehicle pull into Olivia's driveway but then frowned when he saw Fitz standing in the yard with his hands place firmly on his hips.

 _If Fitz was in the yard, who was in the truck?_

As soon as Olivia pulled up, Fitz immediately went to the truck and opened the driver's side door. Jake watched on as she hopped out of the truck and nearly flung herself into his arms, hiding her face away in his neck. His face nearly flushed as he realized that he must have scared her half to death. He really wasn't expecting her to be in Fitz's truck.

'You ok?' Fitz murmured into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her securely to him. He could see Jake parked on the street but he didn't acknowledge him just yet. She was his priority.

'Ya, I'm ok.' she nodded her head. She hadn't even bothered to turn the truck off and the door was still wide open.

Jake swallowed hard and was now conflicted on what to do. He got out of his squad car and decided that the best plan of action would be to apologize. Approaching the couple slowly on legs that felt like bricks, he cleared his throat.

'Liv?' he said softly, trying to get her attention. 'Hey, I'm sorry about that. I thought you were Fitz. It was just a little joke.' he told his half truth.

Fitz eyed Jake closely and tucked Olivia way further into his arms. 'Alright, Jake. I think I can handle it from here.'

Jake was really at a lost and knot formed in his stomach. He wanted to be the one holding Olivia and comforting her and more than anything, he hated the fact that he was the one that scared her half to death. It seemed like all of his attempts to push them apart was actually bringing them closer together.

'I was actually speaking to Olivia.' Jake retorted, trying to swallow his anger.

'Well, I was speaking for her.' he said matter of factly. 'She's ok and I can handle it from here. Now if you'll excuse us, we were just about to enjoy some lunch to celebrate Olivia's air conditioner being fixed. It's cooling off in the house.' he made sure to mention the last part to Jake. He truly believed with all his heart he was behind all of this.

Jake sighed as he realized he probably wouldn't be getting a chance to speak with Olivia today and decided he would have to put some time aside to speak with her privately. 'Right. I'll um. I'll see you guys around. Enjoy your lunch,' he nodded his head in their direction then headed back to his car, now feeling like a bigger idiot than before

'Come on.' Fitz sighed. 'Let's go inside. It's starting to cool off just a little.'

'Alright.' she nodded her head a little sheepishly. 'I think he kinda bumped the back of the truck, too.' she mumbled.

'Really?' Fitz rolled his eyes at the thought. He walked to the back of the truck and looked for any damage. He could see that some paint had been chipped but nothing other than that. Honestly, he was 10x more upset that he had scared Olivia. Screw the paint.

'Lunch time.' he said as he led her back into the house. He really didn't want the afternoon to be ruined. 'Well, it's completely finished yet but it's almost lunch time.'

'Okay.' she nodded and followed him back into the house. After Olivia flopped down on the couch, Fitz made his way to the kitchen to finish lunch.

She rubbed her temples and stretched her neck, trying to relieve some of the building tension growing. A picture frame on top of a box caught her eye and she smiled weakly. She was on tour for her second book in her 'As The Hours Pass' series and of course she paid for all of her friends to tag along. Quinn managed to find a 'Food Fight Facility' somewhere in Spain and they had stopped there. In the picture they're all covered in ice-cream and cakes and other desserts but they were laughing and having a good time. She checked the time and realized she could be could be back home by 3 if she left right then.

'Hey, Livvie.' Fitz called out from the kitchen. 'Where do you keep your plates?'

Her cheeks heated up at the mention of her new nickname. She rose to her feet and walked to the kitchen with a weak smile on her face. Olivia chastised herself for even thinking about leaving Knights Ferry. Somebody had to stay and make sure Fitz didn't get into any trouble.

'Top right shelf.' she said as she approached the stove and looked over what Fitz was cooking.

'Give it another 3 minutes.' Fitz wrapped his arm around her waist, happy to see a smile on her face again. He kissed her temple and stirred the sauce with the spoon in his freehand.

After they had had their lunch, Fitz and Olivia stood at the sink washing dishes in a comfortable silence. He had already decided that he would ask her to spend the night with him tonight but he really didn't know how to phrase it. He knew she wanted to have her independence but this was getting to be a bit out of hand.

'Olivia..' he started after taking a deep breath. 'I think the best idea for tonight would be if you stayed at my place.'

'Are you asking me to spend the night because I'm good company or are you 'worried' about me?' she asked as she dried her hands on her pink dish rag then threw it to him.

'Both.' he said matter of factly then dried his hands and tossed the rag on the counter top.

'Fitz, I know you're just trying to protect me but I really don't need-'

'Please?' he cut her off and took a step closer to her. 'Just for tonight?'

Olivia took a step away from him. She knew her judgement would be clouded if he was standing too close. 'But I can hold my own here. I'll be fine.' she reassured.

Fitz took another step and backed her up until her butt was pressed up against the countertop. He placed his arms on the wood on either side of her, essentially trapping her into place. 'But, it'll be fun. We can watch movies, and eat ice cream..' he leaned in as if he would kiss her but went straight for her jawline.

'So you're just going to exploit my weak spot to get me to say yes?' she asked as he trailed kisses on her neck, heading towards the area that he knew would make her knees buckle.

'If it works.' he admitted shamelessly admitted and blew his warm breath over the area, causing her body to tense. 'We can play those games we bought from the gas station and we can sleep underneath the stars..'

Growing a little impatient, she tilted her neck to the side to allow him better access to her neck. Fitz chuckled at her eagerness. 'Not until you say yes. Say yes and maybe you'll get a kiss.'

'You should just kiss me anyway.' she muttered.

'So stubborn.' he smirked and laid a wet kiss on the sensitive part of her neck, making shivers run up and down her body. 'And I promise that there will be dinner served and kisses and I can take you for a ride-'

'Don't you dare say what I think you're about to say.' she warned.

'What?' he asked innocently before kissing her neck again. He teasingly flicked the tip of his tongue against the spot and she started moaning. 'Is this a yes?'

Olivia shook her head 'no' but was unable to get any words to come out of her mouth.

'Please?' he asked again, this time suckling gently on her skin.

That was her undoing. She finally nodded her head. 'Fine. I'll stay with you tonight.'

'How about for the rest of the week?' he asked hopefully, now pulling himself away from her neck and looking into her eyes.

'Don't push it, Fitzgerald.' she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

'Fine, fine.' he grinned widely. 'You didn't let me finish saying the other thing we can do when you came over.'

'I don't want to hear it because I already know what you're going to say.' she pressed her hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away but he stayed firm.

'Let me tell you.' he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body against his so she couldn't wiggle. He began swaying back and fourth with her securely in his arms. After clearing his throat, he dropped his voice down a few octaves and started to sing. 'I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor-'

'Fitz, stop.' she whined and trying keeping her feet still but he didn't allow for it.

'We can go slow, or make it go faster. Down through the woods and out to the pasture, long as I'm with you, it really don't matter.'

'La la la la la la la la la! I can't hear you!' she tried to yell over his voice but he just sang louder.

'You can climb up in my lap and drive if you want to. Girl you know you've got me to hold on to. We can go to town or baby if you'd rather I'd take you for a ride on my big green tractor.' he started attacking her ticklish area with kisses.

'God, you're the worst!' she said through her laughter.

'Mhm' he hummed. 'Why don't you grab the games and I'll go get that obnoxious looking thing you call luggage from the back of your car and we'll leave.'

'You could at least be nice to me since you've essentially seduced me into staying at your place tonight.' her eyes rolled.

Fitz chuckled and turned his back and started heading towards the front door, grabbing her keys off the counter as he walked by them. 'You know you want this, girl.' he smacked his butt as he walked to the door, causing Olivia to snicker.

'Oh and Olivia,' he called out from the doorway. 'Even if you don't stay with me the whole entire week, I do plan on having you over a lot more in the future. You may want to grab a few outfits to keep at my place.' he wiggled his eyebrows at her before shutting the door and heading outside.

Olivia's stomach did a whole flip when she processed what he had said. He seemed to be an expert in things to say to make her tick. She shook her head then went into her bedroom to grab a few extra sets of clothes then threw them in a duffle bag and grabbed the games they had bought and stuffed them in there, too.

She took one more long, cleansing breath before throwing the bag over her shoulder. She refused to let the incident with Jake ruin their date night. With a smile on her face, she walked back out of her bedroom and turned out the lights in the house.

Fitz was already waiting in his truck but he got out to take the duffle bag from her and put it in the backseat. He handed his keys over and help to boost her up so that she could drive then got in on the passenger side.

'You know at some point I'm going to have to actually sit down and do some work, right? You've been distracting me.' she playfully huffed as she started driving towards the house.

'Me!?' he asked as if he was offended. 'I've done no such thing. You're the one who keeps begging me to take you out. Blowing up my phone at all hours of the night just to hear my voice.' he sucked his teeth and crossed his arms.

'Why am I even dating you?' she groaned and shook her head.

'Cause I'm cute.' he said smugly before sitting back in his seat.

'I guess you are kinda cute.' she smiled over at him before turning her attention back to the rode.

* * *

'Donald, please don't do this!' Hannah begged as she struggled to wrestle her brother's phone away from him. She had been absolutely distraught when she found out that Donald planned on releasing the photos of Olivia and the 'mystery man'. All day she had be unsuccessfully trying to steal his phone or bribe him but it just wasn't working.

'Calm down, cry baby. I'm not going to sell the photos to TMZ.' he said as he pushed her off of him. Although he was younger, he was a lot stronger than his sister. He was the one who did all the major lifting at the store and was the football star of his small town. After he purposely tripped Max on the football field last year, they beat Knights Ferry. Max went home with a twisted ankle and a broken spirit.

'You're not?' she asked, wiping a tear from her red and puffy eyes.

'No. They didn't offer me enough money. I'm going to upload the photo to Twitter and just get a shit ton of followers.' he grinned as if that was a better option.

'Donald no! Olivia is going to think that I did it and she's already offered to help me-'

'Hey, hey.' he said softly, as if he was sad about upsetting her. 'I don't give a fuck. Now get out of my room.'

'I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!' Hannah screamed and stormed out of the room, slamming Donald's bedroom door behind her.

'Would you two stop all that damned screaming up there!?' Darla yelled from downstairs. She was getting a killer migraine and was going to have to go tell them both off if they didn't stop bickering so much.

Hannah ran to her room and grabbed the card Olivia had given her the previous day. She wanted to be able to warn her of Donald's plans before so she wouldn't be blindsided. After dialing the phone number, she said a small prayer that she'd answer.

The number on the card was connected to a business cellphone that Abbey had. Abbey answered on the 3rd ring. 'Abigail Whelan, how may I help you?'

Hannah took in a sharp breath before quickly hanging the phone up, leaving a confused Abbey on the other end. She went to her computer and tried the email address instead.

 _'Hi, Olivia this is Hannah and I want you to know that I had nothin to do with the pictures being posted online. It was all my dumb little brother and Im soa sorry. Please don't be mad at me because I honestly didn't mean for this to happen. I tried to stop him but he wont listen to me and I'm so so sos so sorry. Anything I need to do to make it up to you I'll do it. Here's my cellphone number (281-330-8004). Please call me. Or you don't have to. I understand if you're made or upset with me. I'd be mad too. Please please please email me back when you get a second.'_

She sent the email without even looking over it for spelling or grammar issues then threw herself on her bed with her phone. Hannah was almost positive that Olivia would hate her when the photos came out and that made her sick to her stomach. She had the opportunity of a lifetime and now Donald was ruining it.

Writing could've been her ticket out of the hellhole she was in right now. Now 18, Hannah didn't know what exactly she wanted to do with her life but she knew it didn't have anything to do with sitting behind a counter at a gas station. She loved to read and write but she knew how competitive the field could be. Sometimes her best writing couldn't even compare to some of the amateur fanficiton she read online.

Hannah rolled over in her bed, burying her face in her pillow, and began sobbing uncontrollably. Her writing career lasted less than 24 hours.

* * *

 **So I kinda told you a half lie. Next chapter we'll see what happens when the photos get leaked online. Jake's impromptu plan to mess with Fitz really blew up in his face. You'd think he would quit while he was ahead. Mayor Holland wants to get to the bottom of this whole situation. He's getting too old to play these games with them. **

**The people of Knights Ferry seem to be a little protective over Fitz. What's going to happen when they find out his picture has been plastered all over social media? We'll have to see.**

 **Review and tell me what your favorite part of the story has been so far and what you guys think is going to happen next!**

 **S/N: Thanks everyone for wishing me well on my internship. Being the procrastinator that I am, I have yet to pack one bag lol. I have a little one shot that I was going to post but it kinda of turned into something new. I'm thinking its going to be like a chapter ficlet. Until next time!**


	8. Me And You

**Whhaaaa? Another update? Yes! I usually do one update a week so consider this next weeks update. There will be an intermission chapter coming sometime later on next week. It won't have as much Olitz in it but I have a feeling you guys will _really_ enjoy it.**

 **Please read and review! You guys really help to keep the story going along. Without you I would have little to no motivation so I thank you for that**

* * *

'Sheriff I will not stand for this any longer!' Mayor Holland boomed so loudly it caused his body to shake and his face to turn bright red. He and Jake were standing on the front porch area of Knights Ferry's Sheriff's Department building. It was an older looking shack but with just 4 officers in town it served it's purpose. The outside walls were brown and there were 2 rocking chairs on the front that the deputies sometimes relaxed in.

They had been standing outside in the hot sun for what seemed like hours and Jake was absolutely sure that the mayor was going to blow a blood vessel if he kept this up. If it had been any other day he would've managed to calm the small pudgy man down but Jake was way too tired to put up a fight after the most agonizing 24 hours of his life.

Jake sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was going to go deaf with the mayor kept screaming at him like this. He had been chewing on some tobacco to help ease some of his nerves so he spit the black tar looking substance out on the ground.

'Mayor, what do you want me to do about it?' he reached down into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out his tin of Skoal and dipped his fingers in before placing some more tobacco inside his inner cheek. He didn't know what a pretty girl like Olivia would think about her man chewing tobacco but he'd stop if she asked him to.

'I don't know what you need to do but you need to FIX THIS! Miss Pope has been here for a week but I'm positive she wont be here for another one if people keep attacking her!'

Jake looked down to hide the sad frown on his face. Of course he didn't want Olivia to leave, that was the last thing he wanted, but he didn't know where to go from there. 'The only thing that's happened so far is the busted windows, the spray paint, and the air conditioner. Max and the kids took care of the house and from what I heard, Fitz fixed the air a little while ago.'

A car rolled by the station and his head immediately shot up. He was waiting to see Fitz's truck pass by so he could go apologize to Olivia. He wasn't sure how much longer it would be but he was definitely getting anxious.

'Are you alright, sheriff?' Mayor Holland cocked his head to the side. He had taken notice of Jake's strange behavior and was pretty concerned for him.

'Oh, ya I'm fine. I'm just.. I'm enraged that someone would be purposely trying to mess with one of our citizens!' he roared. 'I will have my deputy keep watch over her house tonight and make sure nobody tries anything suspicious.' his voice was full of false conviction but believable enough to get the mayor pumped up.

'That's the spirit!' Mayor Holland slammed his fist into his hand. 'We're going to catch these lowlifes!'

Another vehicle started coming up the road and caught Jake's attention and he smiled when he realized that it was Fitz's truck. He could finally go apologize without any unwanted interruptions. He clenched his keys in his pockets and was about to cut the conversation short with the mayor.

Mayor Holland noticed the truck coming up and turned wave as it passed by. He let out a long sigh when he realized that both Fitz and Olivia were riding in the truck. 'I suppose Miss Pope will be staying the night at Dr. Grant's house tonight. I'm happy to know she'll be locked away safe at the ranch.' he nudged him with his elbow.

All of the color drained from Jake's face as he watched the truck go out of sight. Of course it made perfectly good sense for Fitz to take her home with him tonight for her own safety. He completely understood that and probably would've done the same thing if put in that situation but that didn't make it any less painful to see it actually play out. He had been itching to talk to her and now his opportunity was riding down the road.

'Um, sheriff?' the mayor raised his eyebrows after realizing Jake's sudden change in demeanor. He cocked his head to the side curiously and studied his face. He definitely wasn't acting like himself today.

Jake had to swallow the thick lump that had formed in his throat before he was even able to get word out. 'Huh? Oh, ya, I'm happy to know she'll be safe tonight.' he said, his teeth gritting as he got his sentence out. Obviously he wanted her to be safe, just not safe with Fitz. He couldn't even stand the thought of her cuddling and kissing his best friend.

 _What does Fitz have that I don't have?_

'I need to get some sleep Mayor Holland. I feel like I haven't gotten a good nights rest since the summer crops grew in.' he put his hands on his hips before gesturing towards the mayor's car that was parked in front of the station.

Mayor Holland regarded him closely for a moment then nodded his head. Something was definitely up but he just couldn't put his finger on it. 'You take care now.'

Jake nodded then spit out the tobacco in his mouth and walked in the station. Knights Ferry only had one jail cell and it hadn't been used since 1978 but it had a cot inside. He kicked off his boots and took his pants off before settling himself down. A tear threatened to fall out of his eye but he quickly dabbed it away.

After rolling over on his back and staring at the ceiling for a minute, he started running down a list of comparisons between him and Fitz.

'Fitz has a truck and a ranch and an education..' he muttered to himself. 'And money.. Ya he probably has more of that than I do.' he rubbed his temples and groaned loudly as he tried to think of some redeemable qualities about himself.

Deciding that he was doing nothing but giving himself a headache, he rolled over on his side and tried to get some sleep. He really needed to push any thoughts of them together out of his head or else he'd never get any rest.

Sure Olivia was with Fitz for the moment but he wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

After passing through the iron gates of the ranch, Fitz was able to breath a sigh of relief. Not only did it feel good to be back home, it felt even better knowing that Olivia was with him. Knowing she'd be safe tonight at his house caused a wave of relief to wash over his body. As soon as the gates closed behind them he took his phone out and opened up his security app.

After double checking that the gates were locked he was definitely put at ease. He sat back in his seat and smiled over at her although her eyes were glued to the pathway leading to the house. Opening up his phone again, he snapped a few pictures of her driving.

'Sttoooppp.' she whined and tried to swat the camera away with her right hand once she realized what he was doing. After seeing that she wouldn't be able to grab it, she covered the side of her face bashfully.

'Nooooo.' he said, matching her tone.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she pulled up to the house and put the truck into park and turned it off. Fitz got out immediately and opened her door for her and helped her step down to the ground. He had a really serene looking smile on his face as he brought her to her feet.

'Why are you smiling like that?' she asked curiously as she watched him grab her bags from the backseat of the truck.

Fitz hesitated for a moment as he tried to put his feelings into words but then answered sincerely. 'I'm honestly just glad you're here, Livvie.'

Olivia's heart fluttered and her skin heated up at his honesty. She rose to the tips of her toes and gave him a small kiss on his cheek before they started walking up the front porch. Fitz tended to leave his door unlocked so they went straight in and he laid her bags near the sectional.

Fitz raised his arms to stretch, his body feeling slightly tensed from the heavy duffle bag that was just resting on his shoulders. He inhaled sharply but was interrupted by Olivia hitting him in his stomach. He quickly doubled over and attempted to catch his breath. 'What was that for?'

'Look at what you did to the dog!' she huffed before walking over to the closed kennel in the corner. The dog was whimpering and whining and he only got louder as he saw Olivia come through the front door. He knew she would come to his rescue if he made enough noise.

She walked over and let him out and scooped him up in her arms and spoke in a baby voice. 'Did mean ol' Fitz have you locked away all day? Hmm?'

'No.' Fitz said defensively. 'I walked him myself this morning. He was doing fine until he saw you now he wants to act like a little baby.' he put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. Of course the dog would make him look bad.

'Aw, he just wants some hugs and kisses.' Olivia cooed and held the dog closer to her chest as it readjusted itself to lick her face. 'Tell Fitz that you just wanted some lovin''

If Fitz hadn't known any better, he would've sworn that the dog was doing this on purpose. The little brat was obviously trying to take Olivia away from him and he didn't like it one bit. She was going to have him spoiled rotten if she kept this up.

'Why is it that I'm the one who rescued him, but you're the one he likes?'

'Because you're not friendly to him.' she said then chuckled as she realized she was explaining animal behavior to someone who had 3 degrees in the subject. 'Plus. I'm cuter than you.'

'Now that I'll have to agree with.' he walked over to her to kiss her cheek but the dog immediately started growling at him once he got too close to Olivia. 'Seriously? He's not going to let me kiss you?'

'Maybe that's a sign that we kiss too much.' she teasingly reasoned.

'There is no such thing as kissing you too much.' he laid his arm around her waist, resting it at her hip. His voice dropped an octave and he spoke lowly. 'As a matter of fact, I don't think I kiss you enough. You should be kissed, and often. And by somebody that knows how.'

Olivia smirked, recognizing the line from the movie 'Gone With The Wind'. She cleared her throat before speaking in an over exaggerated Southern accent. 'And I suppose you think you're the proper person.'

'And I am.' he said, leaning in to kiss her again. Right before his lips could reach hers, the dog barked loudly. 'As soon as this damned dog is out of way.' he grunted.

'Aw, he's just a little protective.' she smiled sweetly at the dog and cradled him underneath her arm. 'Don't you have some chores you need to be doing, Rhett?'

'I suppose so, Scarlet.' he crossed his arms across his chest. 'But you must have gone completely mad if you think I'm leaving without getting my kiss.'

'I'm spoiling you.' she said softly before putting the dog down. Olivia let out a yelp as he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her body flush against his then hungrily took her lips. The dog yapped and barked near their feet to try and get Fitz to leave Olivia alone.

Fitz ignored the distraction jumping up on his legs. He could feel Olivia's knees begin to weaken but he held her up securely in his arms. After he was sure she was out of breath, he pulled away. 'Still think we kiss too much?'

'No.' she mumbled as she tried to regain her senses. He was going to be the death of her if he didn't slow his road. She lightly touched her fingers to her lips.

'I didn't think so either.' he made sure he was steady on her feet before letting her go. After reassuring he'd be back soon, he changed into his work books and grabbed his wide brimmed hat then left the house to start on his chores.

Olivia smiled as she watched him drive off on his tractor. She went straight to her bag in the living room and worked on unpacking her things into one of the empty drawers in his bedroom upstairs. Once her clothes were put away, she set up a few of her bath items in his master bathroom and took a quick shower.

After grabbing a pair of Nike running shorts and a Star Wars t-shirt, she grabbed her cellphone to play some music. She thought about calling some of her friends but decided against it. She wasn't ready to tell them about all the issues she had been having and she knew she would end up blurting it out if they talked.

By 6:30 that afternoon, Fitz was making his way back inside the house. He had had a hard time getting one of the foals to try some experimental feed he had been testing. He had wanted to get back to Olivia a lot earlier than this but it was just impossible.

As soon as he opened the front door, the smell of food filled his nostrils and he sighed with relief knowing that dinner was already ready. The word hungry wasn't even strong enough to describe what he was right now. He was starving for food and a little affection from Olivia wouldn't have hurt either. Fitz honestly didn't know that it was possible to miss somebody so much when they had only been separated for a few hours.

He could tell it was going to be an uphill battle getting her to stay for the rest of the week but this was definitely a good start. Maybe her spending a few days outside of town will give Jake enough time to cool his jets.

Making his way into the kitchen, he found her at the sink washing some pots and pans. Fitz quickly took his phone out and snapped a few photos of her and smiled. As much as he knew she hated when he took off guard pictures of her, he loved them. It was something so beautiful about her being her natural self and he wanted to capture every moment of it

'Stop taking pictures of me, Fitzgerald.' she scolded although her back was still turned towards him. She had heard him walk into the house and could feel him staring at her. His silence let her know that he was up to no good.

'Geez. Do you have eyes in the back of your head?' he asked as he walked over to where she was standing. 'What's for dinner?'

'Food.' she said teasingly while drying off the last pot and putting it in its respectful rack on the countertop.

'Oh thank God because at first I thought we'd be eating wood.' he said sarcastically before grabbing her waist and turning her body towards him. He playfully growled before bending down to take her lips.

Olivia's nose crinkled but she accepted the kiss. He definitely smelled like he had been doing farm work. 'Shower then we can eat. You smell like a cow.'

'You're so mean to me.' his bottom lip protruded but he let her go. 'Give me 10 minutes.'

'I think you're going to need a whole 30.' she said, pinching her nose and dramatically wafting the air in front of her face. 'Ya know, the stench would be a deal breaker for most people.'

'And that nerdy Star Trek shirt isn't?' he said, gesturing down to her t-shirt. It had the words 'Trust Me, I'm A Jedi' in white bold letters with a light saber beside it.

Olivia went silent for a moment and looked at him, blinking as if she didn't believe what she had just heard. 'Fitzgerald.. This is a Star Wars t-shirt, not Star Trek.'

'Wait. They're not the same thing?' Fitz scratched his scalp, now completely confused.

She scoffed and shook her head then pointed to the doorway of the kitchen. 'I'm going to pretend as if you just didn't confuse two of the most influential sci-fi masterpieces of all time. Go shower so we can eat.'

Fitz playfully rolled his eyes and made his way out of the kitchen then muttered just loud enough so that she could hear him. 'Nerd.'

'I heard that!' she called out.

'Good!' he yelled back before making his way up the stairs. He knew Star Wars was a popular series and was vaguely aware what it was about but he never understood the hype. He remembered all of his friends lining up to see the first movie when it came out but he just called them idiots.

He made it up to his bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes and walked inside his bathroom. Fitz couldn't help but chuckle when he saw some of her things now cluttering his bathroom sink. He glanced over the expensive looking products and grinned. Maybe getting her to stay with him the whole week wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

After throwing on a pair of Nike sweatpants his mother had sent as a Christmas gift years ago and a t-shirt, he used a towel to dry his hair then sprayed on some deodorant. As he made his way back downstairs, the dog started barking at him. Fitz rolled his eyes at him and headed towards the kitchen.

'That dog is terrible.' Fitz said as he sat at the island on one of the bar stools. He had to admit that the dog was pretty adorable but he was walking around like he owned the place.

'What? Not Percy!' Olivia feigned hurt as she set their plates down and sat in the stool beside him.

'Wait, he has a name now?' his eyebrows furrowed as he picked up his fork and started pushing his food around. 'And why Percy?'

'Well, why you were gone I tried a few and that's what he responded to.' she shrugged. 'Percy!'

The dog came running towards Olivia when he heard his new name being called. He settled himself beside her chair to wait for her to drop some food down to him. She smiled over at Fitz who just rolled his eyes.

'I hope you don't mind but I grabbed a bottle of wine that you had in the cooler by the cabinet.' she said while gesturing to the two glasses she had poured.

'Trying to get me drunk tonight?' he asked with his eyebrows raised. He reached for the glass with the more wine in it, assuming it was for him, but Olivia popped his hand and wagged her finger at him.

' No, no. That ones mine.' she grabbed it before he could object and took a long appreciative sip. It felt like it had been years since she had a glass and she planned on savoring every drop of it.

'You're so mean to me.' he pouted before grabbing the other glass.

After finishing their dinner and the whole bottle of wine, they retreated to the living room and Fitz put Percy in his kennel for the night while Olivia flipped through television stations.

'Aw, why cant he sleep with us tonight?' her bottom lip poked out as she watched Fitz lock the kennel door.

'Percy will be fine.' he said in attempt to reason with her. He avoided looking at her directly because he knew she had her pouty face on. Instead he walked over to the couch and laid back on it.

Olivia huffed but continued channel surfing while standing in front of the television. They had decided to play 'Truth or Dare' and the pack of cards were sitting on the coffee table. Fitz watched her with a smile before deciding that this was the perfect opportunity to snap a few more pictures of her.

Olivia still had her back towards him but could hear the camera from his phone going off. 'Why do you need all these pictures of me?' she complained as she settled on an episode of Friends then threw the remote on the opposite side of the sectional.

'Because I like to look at them while you're not around.' he smiled sweetly then held his arms out for her to come over.

'That's actually pretty weird.' she smirked and grabbed the pack of cards and carefully settled herself on his lower abs. Fitz hadn't even made a move to touch her anywhere but her waist and she didn't want him to feel pressured into moving too fast. She wanted him to initiate their next step.

'Well, maybe I'm just a little weird.' he grinned and crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out causing her to fall into a fit of giggles. She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of him and set it as his contact photo.

'Fix your face, Fitzgerald. It's game time.' she placed the cards on his chest then pulled one from the top. 'Ready?'

'As I'll ever be.' he rested his head on the armrest of the sofa and placed both his hands on her smooth exposed knees. 'If it's a truth card then I think we both should answer it. This will help us learn more about each other.

'Agreed.' she nodded before looking down at the card and reading it. 'This is a good one.' she grinned. 'Tell the story about your first kiss.'

'Livvie.' he groaned as if he was in great despair. 'I thought these be like "What's your favorite color?" types of questions, not embarrassing prompts.'

'Stop whining Fitz and tell the story.' she demanded while stifling back a laugh. Obviously this had to be humiliating.

Fitz sighed but nodded his head. 'Fine. So I was in 4H Club when I was in high school-'

'What in the world is '4-H'?' Olivia asked, her head now cocked to the side.

'Think Boy Scouts but with girls too.' Olivia nodded her head that she understood so Fitz continued. 'So I was a senior in high school and-'

She began to snicker and Fitz blushed. He knew his first kiss happened a little later than most people's but it wasn't his fault. He definitely wasn't the most outgoing person growing up and nobody really went for the geeky guy who liked to talk about cows and soil levels. She noticed him becoming a little flustered so she straightened out her face.

'Sorry. I promise I wont laugh again. Finish your story.' she encouraged with a smile.

'Okay.' he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before resting them back on her knees. 'So we had to go to a district wide competition and I was showing my prize winning cow to the judges.' he waited for her to laugh but she never did so he continued. 'So of course I won first prize. Gertrude was really a beauty. She had soft fur and the wettest nose I'd ever seen on a cow and she had a really big personality-'

'You talk about this cow better than you talk about me.' Olivia crossed her arms.

Fitz shot her an apologetic smile. 'I mean you're beautiful and all but I don't think anybody could compare to Gerty.' he grabbed her wrists before she could swat at him. 'Kidding, kidding.'

'So Gerty was your first?' she asked with a smirk as she watched him place kisses on the palms of her hands.

'No. If you'd stop interrupting me I could get to that part.' he shot her a look then started his story back up. 'So after the competition I packed Gertrude back into the back of my granddad's truck and we were getting ready to leave until heard the 2nd place winner call my name. Yolanda Hanes ran up to and kissed me and squeezed my butt and told me that I was her boyfriend.' he shrugged.

'So you just went along with it?' Olivia's eyebrows raised. 'You won a cow competition, got your first kiss and your first girlfriend all in one day?'

'Yep.' he smiled smugly. 'Me and Yolanda dated for like 3 months after that but we broke up after I went to Mississippi to start school. Alright, now spill the beans Olivia. First kiss story.'

'Mine is so much more embarrassing than yours.' she shook her head at the memory. 'So I was a freshman in high school-'

'Tramp.' Fitz playfully scoffed.

'Hey! Just because somebody actually wanted me doesn't make me a tramp. Now shush.' she shot him a pointed look. 'So one of my older brother's had a friend name Davion who really liked me. I was really into bad boys at the time so when he asked me to go to the boardwalk with him I was absolutely thrilled. I went through my sister's closet and found a crop top and some booty shorts and snuck out of the house to meet him there.'

'So we have a ton of fun and he's winning me stuffed animals and the night is just absolutely magical. He suggests we go up on the ferris wheel and it seemed pretty romantic so I agreed. We get up to the top and he starts leaning in to kiss me and I get super excited because this is basically the moment I've been waiting on until..'

'Until what?' Fitz raised an eyebrow, now getting invested into the story.

'Until he put his tongue in my mouth and I freaked out and hit him in the face.' Fitz burst into laughter and Olivia covered his mouth with her hand in an attempt to get him to settle down. 'Shut up! It's not that funny!'

Fitz started turning beet red and tears began streaming down his cheeks because he was laughing so hard. Olivia huffed and moved his hands off of her legs and crossed her arms across her chest.

'I'm sorry. That's just hilarious.' he wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to calm himself. He couldn't help but mentally picture the scene in his head and he found it was uproarious. 'I can't believe you smacked him.'

'Are you finished or are you done?' she rolled her eyes but he still hadn't stopped. Olivia poked her bottom lip out and attempted to stand up.

Fitz quickly planted his hands on her hips and brought her back down to his body. 'I'm finished. I swear.' he wiped another tear from his watery eyes. 'Next question.' he prompted.

'You're the worst.' she grumbled and put the first card on the table then grabbed the next one and read it out loud. 'Do you have any tattoos or piercings?'

'God, no.' he shook his head furiously. He wasn't the biggest fan of pain so having a needle pressed into his skin with ink in it definitely did not appeal to him. He used to dream about getting his future wife's name tattooed somewhere on his body but he quickly gave that up.

He looked up at Olivia who was now coyly hiding her face behind the white card and giggling softly. 'You have tattoos?'

'Ya.' she nodded her head and grinned down at him. 'And maybe a piercing or 2. You too scared to get one?'

'Yes.' he shamelessly admitted. His whole body shivered at the thought of even going near a tattoo shop and laying down on one of those tables. 'Where are they?'

'That's a surprise, Dr. Grant.' she shot him a suggestive look before discarding the card to the side. 'But, I guess I could show you one of them.'

Fitz couldn't help but lick his lips as he tried to imagine what she had hidden underneath her clothes. He quickly shook his head of those thoughts and tried to concentrate on the task at hand before all the blood rushed down to his other head. He watched her and she raised her shirt and slightly turned her body, revealing words going down her side.

'Woah. Did that hurt?' he wanted to reach and touch her skin but he knew that would be his undoing. As close as they had grown he still didn't think they were ready to take their relationship to the next level just yet and especially not on the living room couch. She was going to have to put her shirt down very soon unless she wanted something stiff pressed into her butt.

'Hmm.' she lowered her shirt back down. 'This one did but not too much. You should get one.'

'No.' his head shook again. 'I'd probably pass out.'

'But you do farm work. Are you telling me that you never get hurt while you're outside?' her eyebrows raised.

'No, I'm not saying that. It's just something extremely unsettling about laying down on a table and purposely letting somebody repeatedly stick needles into you.' a shiver ran up his spine. 'I don't see how you did it.'

'I thought you were my big macho tough guy.' she smirked and sucked her teeth. 'Read the next question, Fitzy Witzy.'

'If being a tough guy means that I have to get a tattoo then leave me out.' he grabbed a card off of his chest and held it up so that he could read it. 'I'll go first. What's the best birthday you've ever had?'

Fitz thought for a moment then snapped his fingers as he came up with his story. 'Alright imagine this. The year is 2003 and I had just turned 17. I wasn't that into video games and stuff but the GameCube had just come out and I really wanted one. I thought if I got it I could invite some girls over-'

'You thought a GameCube would attract the ladies?' she snorted.

'Yes, I thought it would attract the ladies.' he said defensively. 'Honestly, I wasn't all that interested in girls until 17 and I definitely didn't know much about them. Anyway, so my dad gave me the money for it and told me that I was a man and needed to go buy my own gifts. I went all around town looking for one but every place in town was sold out. So, being the brilliant teenager that I was, I hopped on a train to New York. All I had was my birthday money and a dream.'

'So you spent your birthday alone in New York?'

'Yep. I got there and got the GameCube but I missed the bus coming back home. I had to sleep at the station until the next morning and when I got back home the next day my parent's beat my ass.' he chuckled. 'I hadn't told them I was leaving and I hadn't called them at all. It had just slipped my mind.'

'God you were such an idiot.' she laughed lightly and attempted to grab the next card but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

'Your turn. Best birthday you've ever had.' he encouraged with a smile.

'I've never celebrated my birthday.' she shrugged her shoulders.

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. 'Your family doesn't celebrate birthdays?'

'They do. Just not mine.' she said softly. 'I never celebrated as a kid so I never saw the point as an adult. Just another day, really.'

'When's your birthday?' he asked curiously.

'I'm not telling you because you may do something dumb like buy me a gift.' she said, slightly amused by the look of determination on his face. She had a feeling that he wouldn't just let this go but she really didn't want to talk about her family right then.

He sighed but nodded his head and decided not to push the subject. For now. The last time she spoke about her relatives she cried and he really didn't want to ruin that fun night they had been having. He trusted that Olivia would open up to him in her own time and he really didn't want to force it. He'd be there for her whenever she was ready.

'Corniest pickup line somebody has ever used on you.' he thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. 'Nobody has ever used a pickup line on me.'

'Oh this is so easy.' she grinned and cleared her throat so that she could deepen her voice. '"Now that we know each other a little better, why don't you let me take you out on a date?"- Fitzgerald Grant.'

'My pickup line may have been corny but guess who I've got sitting in my lap 4 days later, Livvie.' he grinned smugly at her before putting the card over to the side.

'Me.' she said with a soft smile. 'Read the next card before it goes to your head.'

He was having a great time just talking to her so he skipped over the card with a 'dare' on it. They could have some fun with those later. 'What's the most fun you've ever had on a date?'

Olivia thought for a moment then smiled. 'Well, this one time this guy took me out to catch fireflies out by a lake and he fed me homemade ice-cream.' she ran her fingers up his broad chest and stopped when she got to his shoulders. 'Then we went inside and he built a pillow fort for us and we watched Netflix under the covers.'

Fitz was surprised at her answer. He thought for sure she would talk about one of the expensive dates another man had whisked her away on. Of course he knew they were having a good time together but he didn't believe that hanging out with him on the farm would compare to fancy 5star dinners or skydiving or whatever else rich people did in the city.

The sincere look on her face let him know that she meant every word she had said and that made his heart do a flip. He would have to try and shake his head of his insecurities about their relationship. Slowly but surely, he was starting to realize that the feelings Olivia had for him were just as real as the ones he had for her.

'Well, I went out with this one girl and we ended up eating waffles really late at night and then she sprayed me with whipped cream. After that she took advantage of me in my weakened state and forced me to kiss her.' he playfully crinkled his nose at her.

'And you haven't been able to keep your lips off of her ever since.' she retorted with a devious smile. She snaked her hands back to his that were still resting on her knees and she intertwined their fingers. 'We have some really good memories together, ya know.'

'We do.' he smiled earnestly at her before kissing the digits on her left hand.

'And you've managed to get a lot of them on camera.' she said with a frisky scowl while lowering herself further onto him.

'Let me make it up to you.' he pushed the cards off of his chest and they fell to the floor, scattering everywhere. After allowing her to settle down comfortably, he trailed kisses down her jawline.

Olivia's breath involuntarily hitched as he approached the spot that he know would make her quiver. Her fingers gripped to his shirt tightly and he wrapped his arms around her body.

* * *

In Sacramento, Olivia's friends were gathered for a movie night at Harrison's house. Maggie had just put their daughter to bed and they had opted to watch Twilight. Unfortunately for Harrison, he got outvoted every single time when it came down to what to watch on television. He had learned long ago to just shrug it off. This was just one of the few not so nice things of being surrounded by females 24/7.

Since they had seen the movie at least 100 times since it had come out in 2008, they were all mostly conversing and drinking wine.

'I have a meeting coming up with Olivia's publisher soon. I think they're going to give her that 'Breakout Writer' award this year.' Abbey said with a huge grin as she sipped her wine.

'She deserves it.' Elizabeth said with an eye roll. 'You'd think they would've given it to her 5 years ago when she was actually on the up and come up. She's basically _arrived_ now.'

'Better late than never, Lizzie.' Maggie said, always the optimist of the group of friends.

'All I'm saying is that she doesn't get the recognition she deserves.' she scoffed and sipped from her glass. 'I have a feeling this new book she has cooking up is going to be the absolute best in the series.'

The group of friends all agreed and toasted to that, all of them unaware of Olivia's new struggle with writer's block.

Abbey picked her cellphone up to check over her social media. After going to her Twitter, her eyebrow quirked. 'Olivia's name is trending for some reason.'

'Seriously? Why?' Quinn asked curiously as she leaned over to look at Abbey's phone.

'No clue. She's supposed to be doing her whole social media cleanse so I know she hasn't posted anything recently.' he sipped her wine and began scrolling through the Tweets, looking for something of substance.

After coming across a photo of Olivia in the gas station with Fitz, Abbey spit all the wine out of her mouth. The red sprayed all over Elizabeth and Maggie who was sitting across from her but she didn't even have time to apologize. She nearly threw her phone on the coffee table between them all so that they could see the picture.

'Holy shit.' Harrison picked the phone up and looked closely at the picture. 'There's like 5 different pictures out here. Who took these?'

While Hannah had managed to get a few photos of Olivia, she had only snapped two of her and Fitz together. On the first one Fitz's back was turned towards the camera and on the second they were kissing with Olivia's head conveniently blocking his face out of sight.

'Harrison I don't know!' Abbey said frantically. This definitely wasn't the type of news she was prepared for tonight.

They all took their phones out to go to their Twitters and look for some type of answers.

Elizabeth frowned. 'This isn't fair. You cant even see the guy's face in the picture. What'd she say his name was? Fitz?'

'You can kinda see it in the one of them kissing.' Quinn said, now looking very closely at her phone. 'But you're right. Her head is in the way.'

'Dammit, Liv!' Abbey closed her Twitter and dialed her phone number. The phone rang a few time then went to voicemail and she rolled her eyes. 'And of course she wont answer her phone.'

'Well then, we'll all just have to blow it up.' Quinn shrugged her shoulders then picked up her phone to call next.

* * *

Olivia had managed to ignore Abbey's first phone call but when her phone started vibrating and ringing back after back, she knew she had answer it. She sighed and attempted to sit but Fitz protested.

'Livvie, no.' he whined and tried to pull her back down.

'Let me just see what they want, ok?' she stood up from the couch so he couldn't distract her and pulled her phone out of the waistband of her shorts.

Fitz groaned loudly so that she could hear his disapproval and sat up. He didn't know exactly what her friends wanted but at that point in time, nothing was more important than making out with her on the couch. He rubbed his fingers through his tousled her and made a mental note to make a 'Turn cellphones off' policy.

Olivia chuckled and shook her head at his sudden tempter tantrum. Talking on the phone was the last thing she wanted to be doing in that moment but she knew it must have been important for them to be calling the way they were. She dialed Abbey's number who answered on the first ring.

'You're trending on Twitter! You're trending on Twitter!' Abbey nearly screamed. It was times like these that she was very grateful that Harrison and Maggie's daughter slept upstairs because she would've surely woken up with all the commotion going on.

'What?' Olivia asked in disbelief. 'Why would I be trending on Twitter? I haven't done anything.'

'Go check it!' she frantically urged.

'Abbey.' she sighed and rolled her eyes, wondering why she just couldn't tell her what was going on. She put her on speaker phone and opened up the app and realized that people had been mentioning her name left and right.

Olivia scrolled through for a moments then her breath hitched as she saw the photos of them together at the gas station. She glanced over at Fitz who looked extremely confused about what was going on.

'What do you want us to do, Liv?' Abbey asked with a sigh.

Olivia went quiet for a few moments as she thought about all of her options. She sucked her teeth and shook her head. 'Give me 10 minutes and I'll call you back with an answer.' she hung the phone up before Abbey could even respond.

'What's wrong, Olivia?' Fitz asked, his head cocked to the side. He definitely didn't like the worried expression she had on her face.

'Fitz.. We need to talk.' she said softly. 'You remember when went to the gas station yesterday?'

'Ya.' he nodded his head in an attempt to encourage her to say what exactly was on her mind. Whatever it was he was absolutely positive that they could fix it. She just had to tell him first.

She bit down on her bottom lip nervously. Fitz didn't ask for all of this and he certainly didn't deserve it. Of course she knew that his face was concealed but it would only be a matter of time before people found out who he was. As much as she didn't want to lose him, she would understand if he decided to let them go.

Olivia took a step closer so that she was standing directly in front of him. She sheepishly handed over her iPhone so that he could see the pictures. In an attempt to gauge his reactions, she studied his facial expression closely. It was absolutely blank as he scrolled through the pictures.

' _This is it._ ' Olivia thought to herself. Her relationship had ended the same day it had technically started. Her bottom lip quivered as if she was going to cry but she refused to do that in front of him. She knew he could probably be so much happier if he just found a woman around town.

'Olivia, I'm so sorry but-' Fitz started to say as he analyzed the photos.

'Fitz its alright' she stopped him, her voice cracking mid sentence as she fidgeted with her hands. 'You don't have to say anything because I completely understand. You didn't ask for this to happen but it sometimes comes with who I am. I'll just go and get my stuff.'

'Excuse me?' he finally looked up at her, now thoroughly confused. 'Why are you getting your stuff? Where are you going?'

'Aren't you going to take me back to my place?'

'Huh? What are you talking about? You're not going anywhere.' he said with finality. 'Why would I take you back home?' he put her phone on the couch cushion beside him.

'Because of the pictures.' she said softly. 'It's not fair for you to have to be in the spotlight like this and I'm so sorry that I put you in that position.' she looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze. 'I have too much baggage. You don't deserve this.'

Fitz cocked an eyebrow and nearly scoffed in disbelief of the words that just came out of her mouth. He stood to his feet and wrapped his right arm around her body to pull her closer and his left hand grabbed her chin and turned her back towards him. 'Olivia, you don't tell me what I can and cannot handle or what I do or do not deserve.'

Olivia's eyes were beginning to water as she listened to him speak. He was staring her down as if he was looking straight into her soul and it was making her ache.

'I can _handle_ you and whatever comes with you. I _deserve_ you.' he spoke with conviction. 'As a matter of fact, I'm glad these pictures got out into the open. I want the world to know that you are mine.'

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but his lips just crashed against hers. This man is something else. Fitz moved both of his hands downwards until they were cupping the plump cheeks of her behind and he pulled her body against his, eliminating any air or space in between them.

She whimpered softly against his lips and managed to wrap her arms around his waist. His words continuously rang through her head as if he had just said them. _You are mine._

Fitz finally pulled away from their kiss after a few moments but her eye were still shut tightly. 'Look at me, Livvie.' he murmured against her lips.

It took her a few seconds but she finally managed to pry her eyes open. She was met by Fitz's warm smile and she couldn't help but to return the expression.

'Hi.' he said, placing a kiss on the top of her hairline.

'Hi.' she vocalized softly.

'There's no running from us, Livvie. We're in this together. It's me and you.'

'Me and you.' she repeated as she buried her face into the soft fabric of his t-shirt.

'So are you going to actually be my girlfriend now or are we still going with the flow?' he asked with a chuckle, trying to lighten the atmosphere up just a little.

Olivia tittered before resting her chin on his chest so that she could look up at him. 'Will you bring me flowers?'

'I'll find one's almost as pretty as you.' his large hands moved to cup her face.

'Will you laugh at all my jokes even if they're not funny?'

Fitz gave a loud, over exaggerated laugh that caused her to giggle. 'Oh my God, you are so hilarious.'

'Will you ask me?' she smiled up at him.

'Olivia Pope, will you be my girlfriend?' he smirked as she seemed to be contemplating about her answer.

'I don't think so, Fitz. I-' before she could finish her sentence, he had her hoisted up in the air by her waist. Olivia laughed and squirmed around in an attempt to get down. 'Okay! Okay! I'll be your girlfriend!'

'Yes!' he said excitedly and began spinning around in circles. He was thoroughly enjoying his view. From this perspective, he got the perfect angle of Olivia above him smiling and giggling and he honestly didn't know what could make the moment any better.

Fitz knew he had to let her go soon. She had phone calls to make to her manager and they probably needed to talk somethings out. Whatever it was that needed to be done would just have to be put on the back burner for now.

In his mind, all that mattered in that moment was ' _Me and you._ ' he mumbled softly and he brought her to her feet and she clung to his shoulders and recovered from her giggle fit.

* * *

 **Sooo this chapter was kind of long. Just to summarize: Mayor Holland has a few suspicions about Jake. Jake is starting to really see his chances with Olivia starting to slip away and he doesn't like that very much. Maybe Mellie will have another plan for them. Olivia and Fitz played truth or dare and got a chance to know each other a little better and now they've made their relationship official. Also, Percy doesn't like Fitz very much.**

 **During the intermission next week, we're going see what happens when everyone finds out where the pictures came from. After the intermission, there's going to be a time jump because we'll never get anywhere if I keep writing about their day to day activities lol**

 **If anybody is curious to know if I'm this corny in real life, the answer is yes lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE review and tell me what you thought, what your favorite parts were, or what you think is going to happen next.**


	9. Prove It (Intermission)

'Are you sure about this?' Olivia asked before dialing Abbey's number. They had spent the better part of the past few minutes trying to figure out how they would address the rumors and pictures and they had finally come to an agreement.

While Fitz said he didn't mind having his picture out and being seen with her, Olivia was adamant about him being able to keep some level of privacy. Their relationship was way too fresh to have to deal with any of the harsh media scrutiny that she was sure was going to come.

'I'm absolutely positive.' he nodded his head confidently. He didn't care who saw them together, he wanted Olivia and everything that she came with. The good and the not so good.

'Alright.' she sighed but nodded her head and pressed down on Abbey's name in her phone. Fitz smiled at her and she weakly returned his expression. She didn't know if he fully understood how much their lives could change in the next few weeks but they do say that ignorance is bliss. They may as well enjoy the peace and quiet while they had it.

He pulled her into his lap and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. It was a tiny gesture that probably wouldn't have meant much to others but it was his silent way of encouraging her. He could tell she was a little uneasy about the whole situation but he really needed for her to understand that he was all in.

'We've made our decision.' Olivia said over the phone as Abbey answered, barely giving her a moment to say 'hello'.

' _We_ have?' Abbey asked with her eyebrows raised. She wasn't really used to this new side of her friend. Olivia usually made decisions by herself but now 'we' were. This was definitely something she was going to have to get used to.

Olivia smiled before turning to Fitz and placing a kiss on his nose. 'We're not going to directly address the rumors. It's nobodies business but our own and there shouldn't have to be some great big social media announcement. If the cameras catch us out then that's fine.' she said, feeling a little more confident about their plan now that she had said it out loud.

'And he's fine with this? We can hire a guy to go-'

'Abbey, its fine.' Olivia interrupted before her friend could go on a tangent. 'Fitz is.. Surprisingly happy about the photos being released.' she smirked and shook her head. 'He likes for people to know that I'm off the market.'

Fitz grinned and pulled her body closer to his. In his opinion she had spent way too much time on the phone and now he wanted some attention. It was getting pretty late and he needed to get some rest before tomorrow but he had absolutely no intention on going to bed with her with him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body so she couldn't get away and started laying wet kisses on her neck. He knew this would be her undoing.

Olivia shook her head at his misbehavior and popped his hand in an attempt to chastise him. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and he needed to stop if she was going to finish her phone conversation. The gesture seemed to only encourage him because he growled in her ear and went straight for her weak spot on her neck.

She inhaled sharply and tried to break away from his arms but his grasp on her only tightened. He began counting down the seconds it took for her to completely lose control and hang up the phone. Her change in breathing let him know it wouldn't be much longer.

'Abs, I have to go.' Olivia said through her uneven breath. She knew she'd have to get off the phone unless she wanted Abbey to hear her moaning.

Fitz chuckled lowly against her ear and murmured. '6 seconds.'

'Shush.' Olivia hissed lowly before pinching the skin on his hand. She could practically see his ego growing along with the smug grin on his face.

'Alright.' Abbey sighed. 'I'm going to call back tomorrow and we'll talk about the general social media response and-'

'Alright, Abbey, that's great. Love you, hugs and kisses all around.' she quickly hung the phone up.

Abbey looked down at her phone in disbelief of how their conversation at just gone. She could only laugh and shake her head as she realized how caught up her friend had gotten with this man. She could only open up her Calendar app on her phone to try and find a weekend that they could all drive down to Knights Ferry.

Olivia put her phone back in her waistband and shot Fitz a disapproving look in response to his mischievous behavior.

He could only shrug nonchalantly. 'You were on the phone way too long. I nearly died.' Fitz dramatically tried to justify his wrongdoing against her soft skin before taking the tip of his tongue and flicking it against her spot.

'You're terrible.' she groaned. 'I was only on for a few minutes.'

'I needed some attention.' he said matter of factly. 'It's our first night as a couple. This is special.' he said as his hold on her waist loosened.

Taking advantage of her wiggle room, she stood to her feet and stretched her limbs. 'Let's go to bed, boyfriend. You have chores to get done in the morning.'

'Yes, ma'am.' he friskily groaned and stood to his feet. Feeling a little playful, Fitz kneeled in front of her and grabbed her by her thighs then threw her over his shoulder. After giving her a moment to settle, he began walking towards the staircase.

'Stop, Fitz!' she laughed and starting hitting his back, wanting to be placed back on her feet. As much as she trusted that he wouldn't drop her, she didn't think wiggling around would be a good idea. 'You're such a caveman!'

'Me no caveman! Me Fitz!' he said in a loud, gruff voice. He glanced over at Percy who was still sitting in his kennel and stuck his tongue out at him as he passed by. There would be no competition for her attention tonight with him stuck in the cage downstairs. He knew it was petty to feel this way towards a dog but he couldn't help but celebrate his small victory.

'Yes! Fitz the caveman!' she clung to the back of his shirt as he began carefully navigating up the stairs.

Fitz roared loudly, causing his body to rumble. He turned his neck and placed a kiss on her thigh that was beside his head before gently sinking his teeth into her flesh.

'Stop!' she managed to squeak through her giggles. She had never been with someone so doting and affectionate but being with Fitz was refreshing. He made it extremely easy to forget about the outside world and being locked behind the gates of the ranch felt like their own little intimate bubble.

They made it upstairs to his bedroom and he tossed her onto the bed where she fell into a fit of laughter. Fitz crawled in next to her and laid back on his back on top of the comforter and watched her. It did something to him knowing that he was the reason she was giggling and smiling uncontrollably.

She was going to be the death of him if she didn't stop being so damned cute. Once she caught her breath, Fitz rolled his body so that he was now hovering over her. He needed to go to bed soon or he wouldn't be worth much in the morning but she was making it difficult.

It wasn't that she was doing anything in particular but her being there and being herself was making it _difficult_.

'Hi, caveman.' she mumbled while stifling back another giggle, the corners of her lips raising into a smile that nearly made him melt on top of her.

'Hi, Livvie.' he grinned down at the greatest blessing the Lord had sent before shifting his weight onto his right elbow and using his left hand to cup the side of her face.

'I should probably stop spending the night here. I'm becoming a distraction.'

'You're the best type of distraction.' he said with conviction before pulling her into a kiss.

Fitz's phone began to ring in his pocket but they both ignored it. They were way too caught up with one another to entertain unwanted distractions. The phone rang again and he pressed the button through his sweatpants to stop it from making noise. When it went off for the third time, Olivia finally sighed and pulled away from him.

'Answer your phone. It must be important.' she reasoned with a pout.

'Nothing it more important than us right now.' he said before leaning over to kiss her again. Before their lips could meet, his phone rang for the fourth time.

Fitz groaned loudly and rolled off her and sat up in the bed. He didn't know who was calling but they would be too afraid to call again once he got off of the phone with them. He reached into the deep pocket of his sweatpants and fished out his iPhone.

4 Missed Calls, _Tiffany Grant_

Fitz's face flushed. Tiffany tended to only call if she wanted something or if something was wrong so this was definitely a surprise. He glanced up the time and realized it was 11:30pm in Knights Ferry so it had to have been 2:30am in DC.

Assuming the worst, he slid his finger across his sister's name and his phone began to ring. Tiffany had habit of dating guys who tended to run on the wild side. Fitz couldn't count on his fingers the number of times he and his dad would have to run off guys from the house.

He silently prayed that nobody had died or was sick or she hadn't gotten into any trouble. There was no reason for her to call him on the other side of the country if something drastic was going on unless something had happened to his brother or his parents. Fitz could feel himself getting sick to his stomach so he tried pushing those thoughts out of his head.

He held the phone up with his right hand and leaned back on the left one to support himself. Olivia sat up when she noticed Fitz's change in demeanor and she scooted closer to where he was sitting. She intertwined her pinky finger with his and watched him closely. She figured that this wasn't the time to ask him a lot of questions so she decided to be a source of quiet moral support.

'Hello?' Fitz said frantically after the phone finally connected after the 3rd ring. He was met with nothing but silence on the other end and that wasn't making him feel any better. One of those assholes she hung out with probably had taken her phone.

'Hello!?' he boomed again, nearly scaring Olivia half to death. His body became visibly tense and rigid as if he would shatter if she touched him because of all of the tension.

People had been telling him that he had an extremely wild imagination since he was a young child. That was probably the reason why he could practically envision his petite little sister hogtied in the back of somebodies van with duct tape across her mouth while her captors decide on a high enough ransom price. Or her being passed out at a party and somebody attempting to take advantage of her. He was going to have a heart attack if he didn't get some answers soon.

' _Where the hell am I going to get the ransom money?_ ' he thought while waiting on his sister or somebody to say something.

Finally, in a small whisper, Tiffany said something. 'Is this a secure line?'

'What!?' Fitz yelled. He didn't know if he was annoyed that she was whispering and he could barely hear her, or if he was happy about hearing her voice. It was probably a good mixture of both. 'Why are you mumbling!?'

'Is this a secure line?' she asked again, speaking up a little more now.

'Tiffany, what- This is my cellphone which as secure as its going to get. What's wrong? Are mom and dad ok? Where's Teddy? Where are you? Are you hurt? How much is the ransom?'

'What?' Tiffany's eyebrows furrowed as she tried processing all of the questions Fitz was throwing at her. 'What ransom? Who's been kidnapped?' she shook her head and figured he was just going off on one of his tangents. 'Mom and dad are fine. Teddy is over at a friend's house and I'm in my bedroom in my pajamas.'

Fitz let out the breath that he had been holding in before yelling again. 'Then what is going on?'

'Stop yelling at me for 2 seconds and I'll tell you!' she paused for a moment, waiting for him to interject. When he was completely quiet, she spoke again.

'I was casually getting some beauty sleep when all of a sudden, my Twitter notifications began blowing up. You see, I'm the president of the Pope Book Club here in DC so when some new pictures of her were released, people started blowing my line up.' she said in a matter of fact tone. Fitz could see where this was going but he didn't interrupt her. He had learned that it was best to let her get all of her dramatics out of the way.

'So imagine my surprise when I see pictures of her kissing somebody in some gross looking gas station. Now, in my professional opinion, the man in the photo looked extremely familiar. I couldn't exactly see his face but it was just something about him that gave me déjà vu. Then I realized- he looked a lot like my older brother!'

'Then I thought, there's no way in hell that Olivia Pope would want my old stinky farmer brother, right? But, then I remembered something. Wanna know what I remembered, Tommy?' she asked, pausing to give him a moment to respond.

Fitz sighed. 'What did you remember, Tiffy?'

'That my older brother sent me hardback copies of As The Hours Pass AND they were all hand signed with a custom note on each one. I wondered how you managed to do something like that but I just figured you had connections. It would make sense if you guys were dating because you could just ask her to do it BUT THEN I thought to myself 'Fitz would never start dating one of my idols but not tell me.''

'Tiffany..' Fitz started but was immediately cut off.

'Shut up. I'll be asking the questions here. Now. Are you or are you not dating Olivia Pope? This is a yes or no question, by the way.'

He paused for a moment and glanced over at Olivia. Tiffany had gotten pretty loud during her over dramatic interrogation and she had managed to hear all of the conversation. He didn't say anything out loud but he was asking for permission before revealing their relationship to his family.

Olivia snickered softly before finally nodding her head. Tiffany definitely seemed like a firecracker.

'Yes. Olivia Pope is my girlfriend.' he answered confidently.

Tiffany paused for a moment as she let this new wave of realization overcome her. She had been pretty positive before she called Fitz but a part of her didn't believe it. She couldn't understand what in the world she saw in her gross older brother.

'Is she with you right now?' she asked quietly, as if now suddenly ashamed of her earlier behavior.

'She is.' Fitz nodded his head.

'Can I speak with her?'

'What? Tiff, no. It's late and we were about to go to bed and-'

'Fitz, please?' she begged loudly and made a screeching noise that made his eardrums ring.

Olivia smirked and took the phone away from him. Obviously they weren't going to get much rest until this was settled. After clearing her throat, she spoke up. 'Hi, Tiffany.'

Tiffany inhaled sharply. She wasn't expecting for her brother to give in that easily and she definitely didn't know what to do now that Olivia was actually on the phone with her. 'Is this a secure line?' she asked softly.

She chuckled. 'No I don't think this a secure line but you don't need one to talk to me.'

Fitz ran his fingers through his hair and couldn't help the slight smile overtaking his face. As much as he wanted to strangle Tiffany, he still loved her to death. Olivia didn't have to talk to her or speak to her as kindly as she was right then but she was. He couldn't hear what his sister was saying but he was positive that she was having a series of mini heart attacks.

'How do I know you're the real Olivia Pope? There are a lot of fakers out there.' she asked somewhat suspiciously.

'Ask me a question and I'll answer it. But my birth certificate most definitely reads Olivia Carolyn Pope.' she smirked and shook her head. Tiffany obviously wasn't going to let her off too easily. She could hardly believe she was going to have to prove herself to be the real her but she found it slightly amusing.

'Alright, what's your favorite snack?'

'Yogurt covered pretzels and I also really like scrambled eggs. I could probably eat them all day.'

'That one was easy.' she huffed. 'Next question. What's your favorite movie?'

'Wow, this is tough. I really like Monty Python-'

'Ha! That was a trick question! The real Olivia Pope doesn't have a favorite movie!'

Olivia couldn't help but cackle at this new accusation and wonder where in the world Tiffany was getting her information from. She glanced over at Fitz who now looked extremely mortified but she decided to continue egging Tiffany on. She thought it was pretty funny.

'You're right. How about I just let your brother send you a picture of us together? Will that be enough proof that I'm the real Olivia Pope?'

Tiffany paused for a moment then nodded her head. 'I suppose that will be alright.'

'Good. I look forward to meeting you soon, Tiffany.' she could hear Tiffany's breath hitch and she had to keep herself from laughing too hard before handing the phone back over to Fitz.

'Was that all, Tiffany?' Fitz asked, now ready to hang up the phone.

'Absolutely not! Why didn't you tell me you were dating Olivia Pope? THE Olivia Pope?' she shot at him.

Olivia didn't know how much longer their phone conversation was going to be but she kind of wanted it to end. They had plenty of time to talk to Tiffany later on. Getting a quick idea, she shifted herself so that she could straddle his hips.

Fitz shot her a quizzical look as he watched her get adjusted. It was getting extremely hard to listen to his sister nag him on the phone while having Olivia sit herself in his lap. Before he could question her actions, she leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips then started going up his jawline.

He grunted as he realized what her plan was. _This was payback._

He would show her, though. He could hold his ground a lot better than she could and he was ready to prove himself. Fitz smirked at the wet kisses coating his neck and shook his head.

Olivia chuckled lowly before taking the lobe of his ear in between her teeth and lightly nibbling on it. She took his outer ear between her pointer finger and thumb and stroked the extremely sensitive spot. It felt amazing to know exactly where his weak spots were. She could feel his body tense underneath her and started slowly counting down the seconds in her head.

'Tiff I have to go. Talk to you tomorrow.' he said before abruptly hanging up the phone.

'4 seconds.' Olivia murmured in his ear, stifling back a triumphant laugh.

* * *

So this was just a short intermission. I had written it a while ago but it doesn't really fit well with the next chapter. I wanted to start slowing introducing some of Fitz's family members since we've met all of Olivia's friends. Tiffany is just a tad bit eccentric.

Also um, we finally reached over 200 reviews which is like so amazing to me! Thank you all for reading and reviewing and enjoying! Thank you for all the messages on here and on Tumblr and on Twitter and where ever else you all have managed to find me lol. It really means a lot to know that you guys are enjoying the story as much as I am writing it.


	10. Knights Ferry Sends Her Regards

**Don't shoot!**

* * *

'Livvie, sweetie.' Fitz mumbled carefully in a sing song way against her cheek. It was 4am and he knew that waking her wasn't the best idea but it wasn't his fault this time. She had insisted that she wanted to get up and go with him to do his morning chores so that she could see what he did everyday. It was a great gesture but he had had a feeling that she wasn't going to be able to get up. But at least she wouldn't be able to say he didn't try.

Fitz gently ran his fingers up and down her taut stomach in an attempt to rouse her. He couldn't help the big, goofy grin that overtook his face and she began to stir. This smart, beautiful, angelic like woman was laying down in his bed and she was his. All his.

He used to believe that life on the farm couldn't get much better. He was able to do what he loved for a living, he had his privacy behind his gates, and it didn't hurt that he was living in the house he practically grew up in. He would've told anyone that his life was perfect before he woke up beside Olivia softly snoring beside him. Now _this_ is what perfection looked like.

The dark blue curtains in front of the window were opened slightly and allowed the slowly rising sun to shine into his master bedroom and it illuminated her warm cocoa skin perfectly. If he didn't know any better he would believe the sun shined for her and only her.

Olivia's eyebrows furrowed, in what he thought was the cutest way ever, as she attempted to stay asleep. She was only slightly aware of the fact that he had been watching her for the past 5 minutes or so. She popped Fitz's hand hard before groaning and rolling over onto her side. Getting up early didn't seem so bad at first but now she wanted no part in it.

He chuckled lowly and rubbed the skin of his now red hand. Alright, so maybe she wasn't all that angelic like but still. She was his. Fitz rolled over so that his chest was pressed into her back and placed a series of soft kisses on her cheek. She smelled so good. _Why did she have to smell so good?_

'I'll. Be. Back. In. A. Little. While.' he said softly, punctuating each of his words with another kiss. She had the softest skin he had ever felt. _Why was her skin so soft?_ He usually didn't mind getting up for work but there was nothing more than he wanted this morning than to stay cocooned in bed with her.

'Stoooppp.' she said, her whiny tone full of pure annoyance. She swatted at him again to remove his lips from her skin then pulled the covers over face, denying him access.

Fitz chuckled softly and decided that he wouldn't bother her anymore. If she needed a few more hours of sleep then that's what he would give her. He was still going to try and persuade her to stay the rest of the week at his place so he needed her to be in a good mood when she woke up.

'Sleep a little longer.' he said softly. 'I'll be back soon.'

After hearing her make a noise that sounded somewhat like an 'okay', Fitz rolled out of bed and went to go put on some work clothes. He moved quickly so he could hurry and get his work done. He wanted to be back before she woke up. After grabbing his tractor keys and his wide brimmed hat off of the coat rack, he made his way out of the front door and headed towards the fields where he was growing some vegetables.

He had never been the type to brag or toot his own horn but he was extremely proud of the work he had been doing in his greenhouse this year. As boring as farming and growing crops seemed, he always found it extremely fascinating. He always figured that his hobby turned career choice was the reason he hadn't had much luck with women in the past but Olivia was so different.

She was definitely worth the wait.

Fitz grabbed a woven basket that he had set aside in the greenhouse and began carefully skimming through his plants. He had plans to only take the ripest ones back down to his lab so that he could send off some samples to some colleagues. He was almost positive that they would be impressed with their work.

After kneeling to the ground to pick a tomato up, he noticed a snake slithering through the dirt. It wasn't uncommon to see them hanging around in the greenhouse so it didn't really surprise him. Before he could grab it or move out of the way, it sunk its teeth straight into his boot.

Fitz crinkled his nose before grabbing the snake by its hind end and holding it up in the air. He made a mental note to go out and buy Olivia a pair of boots so she wouldn't have to walk around in her tennis shoes. His face nearly went pale as he thought about what would've happened if she had accompanied him today.

Maybe he did worry a little too much and maybe he was just a little over protective but he just couldn't help himself. He would've had a heart attack if she had gotten hurt out in the fields today. It was probably just his overactive imagination working against him again that showed him visions of Olivia writhing in pain on the ground and crying.

He shook his heads of those thoughts and wrapped the snake up in an old wrap so that he could release him further out. It wasn't poisonous so he knew it wouldn't cause too much harm except for its aggressive bite.

After finishing his chores for the morning, he made his way back to the house. Now came the difficult task of persuading Olivia to stay for at least another day. He knew it was going to be an uphill battle but he was prepared to play dirty to get what he wanted. It would make him feel a lot better knowing that she was safe behind the iron gates of the ranch and locked away in his arms.

As he approached the front door and walked up the stairs he noticed that the door had been propped open but the screen door was shut. A smile played on his lips as he realized that Olivia must have been awake and downstairs. Just as he reached to grab the handle on the front door, Percy appeared out of no where and started barking and trying to block Fitz from getting inside by putting his little body in front of the door.

'Are you kidding me?' Fitz grumbled as he attempted to carefully pry the door open so not to ram it into Percy. As much as he loved animals, he was starting to regret picking him up out of the woods. First he took his girlfriend and now he wouldn't let him in his own house.

Percy's barking and growling caught Olivia's attention from the kitchen and she came from around the corner. The bun that once sat on top of her head had loosened and fallen to the side and she had changed into a pair of yoga pants in preparation of her morning work out. She picked Percy up and kissed his little face before opening the front door for Fitz.

'Asshole.' Fitz grumbled as he walked into the house and put his hat back on the coat rack next to hers that hadn't gotten any wear since the first time it was on her head.

'He was just protecting the house while you were gone. Right, Percy?' she said in her squeaky baby voice that was reserved for just the dog.

'Protecting the house from me? The homeowner?' he cocked an eyebrow in sheer disbelief that this little rat had effectively brain washed his girlfriend. He took off his boots while watching her coo and fawn over the little dog licking at Olivia's fingers.

'Aw don't say it like that. He wanted to make sure I was safe.' she reasoned, causing Fitz to roll his eyes. 'Go take a shower, Dr. Grant. I made you some breakfast.' Olivia stated matter of factly before making her way back into the kitchen with Percy.

Fitz's frown immediately turned upside down and he nearly raced up the stairs to get ready. Not only was he extremely hungry, having her there made him so much happier. He could definitely get used to having mornings like these. Waking up to Olivia, getting some work done, then eating breakfast with her. Basically, the picture perfect form of domesticity.

If only he could get rid of that damned dog.

'Are you still going to help Holly after she leaked those pictures of us?' Fitz asked as he sat next to her at the island and pulled his plate in front of him. Sure, he was happy that their relationship wasn't a secret but that didn't stop him from being upset that somebody leaked them.

'Her name is Hannah.' Olivia sucked her teeth before cutting up a piece of egg with her fork and putting it in her mouth. 'And, yes, I still will be assisting her.'

'Why?' he cocked an eyebrow while drowning his pancakes in syrup.

'Because she didn't do it.' she said matter of factly.

'Then who did it? She was the only person in there.'

'No, she wasn't.' she said defensively. 'Plus, she sent me an email and said she didn't do it. It was her little brother.'

'And you believed her?'

Olivia chuckled and reached down and patted his knee gently. 'You have to learn how to trust people more, Fitz. She has an honest face.'

'And what makes you think she's telling the truth?'

'The same thing that makes me trust you.' she pushed her food around a little. 'My gut. My gut tells me everything I need to know about everything and it tells me that Hannah is telling the truth.'

'And this usually works for you? Listening to your body parts?' he asked only half-jokingly. As much he wanted to be able to trust everyone, he also wanted to be realistic about the situation.

'Yes.' she smirked and kissed his cheek before turning her attention back down to her food.

Fitz simply sighed but smiled and shook his head. If she trusted Hannah, then he would have to trust her, too.

After breakfast was over with and Olivia had done her morning yoga, they decided to watch some television in bed. Fitz turned on season one of The Office and they both laid down together to watch. By the end of episode 3, they had both fallen asleep together.

Olivia woke up first after feeling some weight pressed up against her body. It wasn't too heavy or too overbearing but it was definitely a new sensation. She allowed her eyes to flutter open and looked down to realized that Fitz must have rolled over on top of her in his sleep.

He was slightly snoring with his head resting on top of her breasts and his arms wrapped securely around her. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Fitz had put himself in this position on purpose. She couldn't help but smile as she ran her fingers through his dark brown wisps of hair that sat on top of his scalp. This big, rugged man was all hers and there was nothing anybody could do to take him away.

 _Mine._

Getting a quick idea, she carefully reached down into the waistband of her yoga pants and fished out of her cellphone. She knew that they had agreed to not make any type of statement about her relationship status but she was all too tempted. Olivia snapped a picture of Fitz sleeping on top of her breasts with her hand resting protectively over his head and her fingers in his curls. She was extremely careful not to get his face in the frame and once she was completely satisfied, she opened her Twitter account.

Social media was still buzzing about the pictures that had been released the night before and she knew this would probably send them into a frenzy. She snickered softly before uploading the photo and watching her fans go absolutely wild.

Olivia had a feeling her friends would be giving her a phone call once they saw the picture so she put her phone in airplane mode and threw it to the side. After eliminating that distraction, she wrapped both her arms carefully around Fitz's shoulders and ran her fingers carefully through his hair.

'You are so perfect.' she mumbled softly so not to disturb him from his sleep then placed a small kiss on top of his head before laying back onto her pillow.

Of course Olivia knew Fitz wasn't perfect. Nobody was absolutely perfect. It would be extremely unfair to put him up on such a high pedestal. She knew he was going to make mistakes and do some dumb shit every now and again but she was prepared to ride this out with him. He may not have been absolutely perfect but he was perfect for her.

Maybe staying for the rest of the week wasn't the worst idea.

* * *

By the end of the week, news was starting to slowly trickle into Knights Ferry about Olivia and Fitz being caught at the gas station. While the adults of the small town weren't too involved in social media, the teenagers were and they weren't very happy about the situation. After school on Friday, they all met up at Max's house as usual.

Max's family had been in Knights Ferry for the past 7 generations and they still stayed in the same house. Their living room was large, spacious and filled to the brim with pictures. Both of his parents worked at a chicken plant right outside of town so Max often times invited everybody over after class to hang out.

'I can't believe somebody would fucking do this bullshit!' Shannon, Max's girlfriend, nearly screamed as she threw her phone down. She was definitely an Olivia fangirl so it was making her furious to see people Tweeting the pictures.

'I agree.' Hooter said before taking a long puff of his blunt. He was the only one out of the group that smoked but he didn't care. He was thrilled to be the only stoner in town because it meant he didn't have to share. Plus, it made him look kinda cool.

Max sat forward in his seat and rested his chin in his hands as if in deep thought. He had always liked Fitz and saw him as something like an older brother or cousin so he too was pretty upset that their picture had been circulating around the internet. 'People are so ridiculous. We have to do something about this.' he grumbled more to himself to the group.

'Something like what?' Hooter asked, his eyebrows now raised in curiosity.

'I don't know! I'm thinking.' Max quickly snapped before shutting his eyes. 'We need to find out who posted the pictures first. That's the fucking source.'

'It was that little turd Donald. The guy who's family owns the gas station out on the highway.' Shannon's friend Lisa stated matter of factly as she pulled Donald's name up on her Twitter account.

Lisa turned her phone around so the whole group could see the screen. Max let out a low growl as he analyzed Donald's profile. They had both been feuding since freshman year of high school and seeing this really made his blood boil. He had been actively plotting to ruin Max since day one.

He grabbed Lisa's phone and began scrolling through Donald's Tweets until he was nearly sick to the stomach. After quickly standing to his feet, he handed her back her phone and turned to his group. 'Donald has to be put into his place. This isn't just an attack on Dr. G and Ms. Pope. This is an attack on Knights Ferry!' he declared, his voice full of passion.

Shannon gave him a very skeptical look. She was fully aware of how her boyfriend felt about Donald and knew he tended to overreact to simple situations. 'An attack on Knights Ferry, Max?' she asked, her voice clouded with disbelief.

'Think about it!' he turned his attention directly to her. 'He's tried to sabotage basically everybody in this room! He stole your tennis shoes before your track meet, he broke Hooter's skateboard, he even went so far as to try and break my ankles during the Homecoming game! We can't keep letting him get away with things!'

She studied Max for a moment, seriously thinking about what he said, before holding her hand out to the group. If Shannon was completely honest with herself, she'd probably follow him over a cliff. 'I agree with Max. Something needs to be done. We can't keep letting him bully us. I'm in.'

'Shouldn't we just leave this to the adults?' Lisa asked, a bit nervous about the outcome of this situation. She knew Max came up with great strategic plans but this seemed a little out of their league.

'Lisa, we don't have another choice.' Max attempted to explain softly. 'They're just going to tell us to turn the other cheek or some more dumb nonsense like that. We're citizens of Knights Ferry just like they are and it's our job to protect her and her people.' he said matter of factly.

She sighed and rolled her eyes before putting her hand into the slowly growing circle. If nothing else, Max was extremely persuasive with it came to getting the things he wanted.

Even if that meant traveling almost an hour away to get vengeance on a 16 year old boy.

'Alright!' Max grinned widely and put his hand over the slowly growing circle. He didn't know what the plan was but that part would be easy now that he had the support.

'You know I'm with the shit.' Hooter drawled out as he stood up from his seat and put his hand in with theirs.

One by one, each person from the group of about 10 put their hands together in a circle. Max looked around the group and smiled, proud that he and his friends were able to band together. 'There's no backing out now, guys. We're all in this together.'

'Together.' they all said in unison before breaking their hands apart.

* * *

After a full week of planning and organizing, the teenagers were ready to set out on their journey the following Friday. Only Max and Hooter would make the trip out to Donald's house that day. They all agreed with was way too risky for the group to come and plus, somebody had to stay in Knights Ferry to cover for them.

At 1 in the afternoon, the boys started coughing and wheezing as if they were sick. Just as planned, their teacher encouraged them to go home for the day and get some rest. They left the school and went straight to Hooter's house. The plan was to use his dad's vehicle since neither one of them had cars.

Hooter's dad worked at night and slept during the day so it was supposed to be a simple task of stealing the keys, taking he van, then returning before he even notice they were missing. They went inside the house to grab the keys and some snacks for the road when they realized something was off.

The keys had been moved from their normal spot.

'Looking for something?' Hooter's dad, Eddy, asked from the kitchen doorway. Both boys were unaware of the fact that he had been watching them scramble around and look for the keys for the past 5 minutes.

'Dad!' Hooter nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized they had been busted. 'What are you doing up so early?'

'What are you doing out of school so early?' he countered with his eyebrow cocked.

Max cleared his throat and spoke up after sensing Hooter was having a hard time diffusing the situation. 'Mr. Hooter's Dad sir, we were just-'

'Save it, Max.' he held up his hand. 'We all already know about your little plans. You kids are horrible at keeping secrets.' his head shook as if he was disappointed. It hadn't been very hard for the parents to overhear them talking amongst one another about their plans to get Donald back.

Both of the boys heads dropped. Their plans had seemed so perfect and seamless, it was hard to believe that it was all going to waste 20 minutes before it was time to execute them. Not only that, they were probably going to be in a world of trouble.

Eddy sighed and tossed the boys the keys and they landed at their feet. 'You boys stay out of sight. If you get caught, then there's nothing we can do for you.'

Hooter bent over slowly and picked his dad's keys up off of the floor and analyzed them. 'Why are you letting us do this? Aren't we in trouble?'

'Somebody needs to teach that little prick that you cant go around screwing in people's lives and get ahead.' he crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway. 'If he messes with one of us, then he messes with all of us. We stick together around here.'

Max smiled softly and nodded his head. 'Just like the mayor said.'

'Exactly.' he agreed. Mayor Holland had always been really big on all of Knights Ferry's citizens sticking together. 'Now you boys get going so you can get back before supper time.' he nodded in acknowledgement to both of the boys.

Hooter and Max both smiled widely before walking past him and heading towards the front door. Before they made it outside, Hooter's dad cleared his throat loudly to catch their attention.

'Make sure he knows not to fuck with Knights Ferry again.' he waved them off before heading back to his bedroom to get some rest before his next shift.

Eddy wasn't usually the type to promote violence but he wouldn't discourage it, either. He grew up in a different time where men acted like men and solved their issues with force. If he had a dollar for everything he and some friends ended up brawling, he'd be a very rich man.

Nobody, not even Donald, was going to get away with messing with Knights Ferry.

* * *

Donald had been thoroughly enjoying his new found internet fame for the past week or so. Not only had he gained over 6,000 followers on his Twitter, he was the new god of his small high school. Despite his older sister's downcast mood, he had been having a great time.

'I think they're going to give me a book deal.' Donald said smugly as he rubbed his knuckles against the fabric of his shirt as if was polishing them. Of course nobody had offered him any type of deal but none of the kids at his school knew that and it definitely impressed the ladies.

'Wow Donny, that's really cool!' one of the girls from his class cooed as she offered him some chips out of her bag. It was after school and the small group of classmates were sitting on some benches outside of the building and talking.

'I know that.' he said smugly before taking the bag from her hands and taking a handful. 'Don't worry guys, when I make it big I'll send you guys something nice.'

'They're probably going to ask you to move out to L.A so you can be some hotshot paparazzi or something.' another boy said with a grin on his face. The thought of anybody from their small town finally making it big in anything really excited them.

'I know.' he grinned. 'I'm going to be filthy rich. You guys better stay on my good side. Maybe I'll sign autographs and let you take pictures with me.' Donald shrugged his shoulders before pouring the rest of the girl's chips into his mouth. He stood from his seat and stretched his muscles.

'I'm going home, losers. Make sure you retweet my picture some more and tag me in it.'

After saying goodbye, Donald headed towards the field where the students normally parked their cars. He usually left a little early on Fridays so he can get home and help his mom with the gas station.

He whistled and twirled the keys on his finger as he walked towards his old pickup truck. It was a bit rundown and beat up but he didn't mind that too much. In his mind, he'd have a new car very soon. Donald threw his backup in the bed of the truck before something started covering his face.

'What the hell?' he yelled and tried pushing it off of his head but suddenly somebody was holding onto his arms and zip tying his wrists together. He squirmed desperately before a kick to the back brought him down to his knees.

'Stop, man, you're hurting me!' Donald winced as he was being dragged through the dirt. He tried calling for help but they were way out of earshot from the school building.

He cringed as he was thrown into the back of a van and his body hit the floor with a thud. He had never been the type to scare easily but this situation was a bit different. Unable to see or move efficiently, Donald began squirming and kicking the walls of the vehicle. After struggling in the back for over 10 minutes, he did the only other thing he could think of.

 _Cry and beg for mercy._

'Look, I don't know who you are or what you want but you gotta let me go! People are going to come looking for me!' he yelled helplessly but his pleas were only met with silence.

'What is it that you want? I can get you money! Is that it? Please, say something!'

'We don't want your money, Donald.' Max spoke up for the first time since they had picked Donald up as he continued driving. They had just been going in circles for the past few minutes to confuse him.

'Wait a minute.' Donald muttered lowly. 'You sound familiar! Who are you?' his eyebrows knitted together as he tried putting a voice to a face.

Max and Hooter both rolled their eyes, wishing that he would just shut up. At this point, there was nothing he could do or say to make them let him go. They were in way too deep to simply just go home. Donald was going to have to pay.

'Donald shut the fuck up!' Max seethed.

'Hold up, I know you! You're that loser that plays for the Patriots, aren't you?' Donald laughed a little darkly, his fears now subsiding. He knew Max didn't have the balls to cause him any real harm. 'Your mommy and daddy finally let you out to play?'

When Max didn't respond, Donald decided to egg him on some more. Even in this vulnerable state, he was still in the mood to irritate him. 'How's that pretty little girlfriend of yours? Does she talk about me?'

Max emitted a low growl. He could handle a lot of teasing and taunting but there was no way he was going to let him disrespect Shannon. Hooter was sitting in the passenger seat when he saw his friend getting worked up and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sure she does. You know I dicked her down after you fumbled and twisted your ankle at your homecoming game, right?' he said crudely. He could tell he was getting a rise out of him and that's what he wanted. Of course he had never even gotten close to Shannon but he knew exactly what to say to make Max tick.

'Wanna know what else? I made her suck my dick.' he heard Max snarl so he continued. 'Ya, she was scared at first. She told me that she hadn't had anything so big in her mouth so I put her on her knees and just fucked her throat.'

Having heard quite enough, Max slammed down on the breaks hard. This motion caused Donald's body to slide and slam against the side of the van. He winced but was not deterred. If they were going to kidnap him, they were going to have to listen to him the whole entire way.

'Max!' Hooter yelled in an attempt to grab his friend's attention. His reckless behavior was going to throw the whole entire plan off. 'You have to stop! You're letting him get in your head!'

'Oh you brought the pothead with you for backup! I knew you couldn't take me down by yourself!'

After shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of Donald's words, Max continued driving. He didn't want to believe that Shannon had done anything with his arch nemesis but he was now growing a little insecure.

For the next 30 minutes, they drove around and listened to Donald yelling and screaming and insulting them. Finally, the vehicle was brought to a halt and turned off. Max and Hooter forcefully dragged Donald from the back of the van and stood him up on the side of the road.

Still unable to see or move his arms, Donald stumbled to regain some of his balance. He heard something being torn apart and it took him a moment to register that they were cutting his clothes off his body.

Once Max had cut everything off except his boxers, Hooter removed the sack that was over Donald's head. He now realized that they were about 5 miles away from his town and the California sun was beaming down on his skin.

'This was your brilliant plan? To bring me out here to beat me up?' he cocked an eyebrow at Hooter and Max. 'You two are bigger idiots than I thought.'

Ignoring his comment, Max cleared his throat then spoke up. 'Nobody is going to beat you up, asshole. But, have fun walking home in your boxers.'

Donald's jaw dropped. He definitely wasn't expecting them to just leave him out there. As Max and Hooter walked back to the van to get in, he decided to make one last jab at both of them.

'You boys have fun making out on the way back to your little ass backwards town. I'll be by to pick Shannon up next week!'

Max's face lit up a bright shade of red and he turned on his heels back towards Donald. He was usually able to stay calm, cool, and collected but he had really gotten under his skin today. He stomped his way back over to where Donald was standing, ignoring Hooter yelling in an attempt to get him to stop.

Donald smirked smugly as he approached him. Unable to move his arms to attack, he gathered some saliva in his mouth and spit right on Max's cheek. Normally he wouldn't stoop that low but he had no other choice today.

Max's nose crinkled as he swiped the wetness off of his face and flicked it on the ground. Forming a fist, he punched Donald right in gut, causing him to fall straight on his back onto the hot dirt.

'Knights Ferry sends her regards.' he grumbled before kicking Donald's writhing body once more then walking back on to the van.

It was going to be a long ride back home.

* * *

Olivia took a long, deep cleansing breath before settling herself down on her couch for the night. Fitz had convinced her to spend the whole entire week with him and she hadn't gotten any work done. This was all going to start catching up with her if she wasn't careful. She turned on some soft music before opening her laptop.

Admitingly, she always wrote best when she was relaxed and happy and happy wasn't the word for what she was right now. Jubilant. Gleeful. Joyous. Blissful. Probably a combination of all those things. Fitz managed to make her feel as if she was floating on clouds 24/7 and she could only hope that she could transfer some of that to paper.

Unbeknownst to Olivia, Jake had been watching her house everyday since she had been with Fitz. He would ride by to see if she was back home or by herself and been extremely disappointed. He could only imagine the types of things they had been doing on the ranch all week and it made his skin crawl.

Tonight when he saw the light on through Olivia's living room, he was giddy to say the least. Not only was she finally home, Fitz's truck wasn't there so that must have meant that she was completely alone. He had rounds to do but that could wait. For now, he just wanted to keep driving by her house. It made him feel so much better just knowing that she was there.

Olivia could hear a vehicle outside of her house and she stood up to see what was going on outside. It was almost midnight so she knew it wasn't Fitz because he would've been asleep by now. Her feet softly padded against the hardwood of her living room floor as she made her way to the blinds.

She swallowed hard she saw Jake's car rolling by her driveway. She had been hoping that spending a week away from town would give him time to cool off but now it seemed as if he was stalking her. Olivia thought about calling Fitz but then decided against it. She was a big girl and didn't need him coming over to protect her.

After making sure her all her doors and windows were securely fastened and locked, she sat back down on the couch and tried to continue writing. It was very hard to stay in the zone, though, when she could hear Jake's patrol car roll by every 5 minutes or so.

From outside in his vehicle, Jake wondered if Olivia knew that he was watching her. He didn't mean to scare her or freak her out but he wanted to protect her. He wanted to make sure that she was safe at all times and he wanted to stay close to her. Since he realized she probably wouldn't be letting him in her house, this was the next best thing for him to do.

Deciding to let his presence be known in the most discrete way possible, Jake parked right outside of Olivia's driveway and flashed the lights on his car a few times. He wanted her to know that he was there to make sure she was ok even when Fitz wasn't around.

'What the fuck?' Olivia muttered and stood up from the couch again to glance outside of her window. She hadn't planned on calling Fitz but this was getting to be a bit out of hand.

Jake could see her head poked out of the blinds and he smiled brightly. He rolled the window of his car down and waved at her before flashing his lights on again. He still wasn't expecting an invitation inside but at least she knew he was around.

Olivia swallowed hard before shutting her blinds tightly. She grabbed her cellphone and bit down on her bottom lip as she debated making this phone call. She really didn't want to disturb him because she knew he had to be up in a few hours but she would feel a lot safer is he was around.

Scrolling through her phone, she found Fitz's name near the top of her Favorites list. A small smile played on her lips when his contact photo popped up and she pressed down on his name. Olivia flopped down on the couch and prayed he answered soon as she saw Jake's lights flash again through her window.

'Hello?' Fitz answered groggily on the other end. He rolled over onto his back but kept his eyes securely shut.

'Fitz, did I wake you up?' she asked softly, now feeling a little guilty.

'Yes, but that's alright You can call me whenever you need me, ok?' he reassured. 'What's wrong?'

Olivia took a deep breath before she began rambling on. 'I was sitting in my living room and doing some work when I heard a car drive by so I got up to check it and it was Jake and he kept driving by and now he's outside flashing his lights and-'

She was talking so fast, Fitz missed most of what she said. He heard the last part, though, and his body sprang up into a sitting position. 'Jake is outside your house right now?'

'Yes.' she admitted timidly.

Fitz glanced over at the clock and realized it was around 12:30am which is way too late for Jake to be flashing lights. He quickly hopped out of bed and began looking for a t-shirt to put on since he was already in sweat pants. 'Stay on the line with me, ok? I'm getting dressed.'

'Okay.' she agreed and quietly sat on the line, listening to him grabbing his keys and walking outside to his truck.

'Is he still out there?' Fitz asked as he started driving out of the gates of the ranch. He knew his imagination was about to start running rampant so he had to keep himself calm.

'Let me see.' she mumbled before checking outside her window. 'He's still here. He's not in his car anymore, though. He's standing beside it eating something I think.'

'Are all the doors locked, Livvie?' he asked as he began speeding towards her house. He wasn't afraid of getting another ticket if it meant that he could get to her faster. Plus, the only police officer on duty was parked outside of Olivia's house at the moment.

'Yes. I locked them when he first started driving back and fourth down the street.' she said while crossing her arms securely across her stomach as if protecting herself.

'Just a few minutes and I'll be there.' he reassured her. 'Just don't go back to the window or anything. I don't want him to say that you're leading him on.'

'Alright.' she sighed and sat back down on the couch.

The sat on the phone completely silent for the next 5 minutes until Olivia heard his truck pull up into her driveway. She hopped up from her seat and went over to the door and waited for him to get out of his truck. As much as she hated getting him up from his sleep, she felt a lot better knowing he was here.

Fitz hopped out of his truck and locked the car doors before turning to Jake who was still standing outside his car. He shook his head at him. 'Get out of here, Jake. You're scaring her half to death.'

'How am I scaring her now?' he asked as if he was really confused. 'I want her to know I'm here to protect her!'

'Protect her from what? You're the only person intimidating her!' Fitz snarled then took a deep breath to keep his composure. 'Whatever. You can leave now. Her _**boyfriend**_ is here to protect her.' he said, putting emphasis on the word boyfriend. Not only did he know he was going to get a rise out of Jake, he wanted to be absolutely clear about his status in her life.

Before Jake could say another word, Fitz started walking towards Olivia's front door and she promptly let him inside. He was getting sick and tired of his old friend's behavior and it was going to have to stop. Either Jake was going to have to back off, or he was going to have to get physical with him.

Fitz kicked the door shut behind him before gathering Olivia into his embrace, his arms wrapped securely around her petite waist. He kissed the top of her head and took in the scent of her clean hair. At this point, her safety was the only thing that mattered to him.

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and let her whole body just melt against him. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in as she heard Jake's car drive away. She wanted to stay in his embrace a while longer but he moved his hands up to cup her cheeks and tilted her head up.

'We need to talk, Olivia.' he said seriously.

Olivia sheepishly nodded her head before letting go of his neck. Fitz grabbed her hand and walked her towards the couch where they both sat beside one another. He gave her a moment to get comfortable before speaking.

'I'm going to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth.' he looked her straight in her eyes and she nodded her head. 'How long had Jake been riding past your house before you called me?'

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip. She had had a feeling he wasn't going to be very happy with her when he found out that she had waited to call him. This was the first time he had ever been upset with her but she knew for a fact that she didn't want it to happen again.

'About 45 minutes.' she admitted softly into his now stormy gray eyes. She didn't know how he managed to do it but it looked as if he was staring straight into her soul. Olivia shifted a little uncomfortably under his gaze.

'Why did you wait so long? You could've been hurt. Why didn't you just call me?' he probed for answers even though he already had a feeling what it was going to be.

'I didn't want to bother you because I knew you were asleep and I thought I would be able to handle it myself. I'm not a damsel in distress that needs help as soon as something goes wrong.'

Fitz's eyes rolled. 'Olivia, you calling me is not going to bother me. I want you to reach out to me if something happens. If something goes wrong then I want to be the first person you call.' he took both of her hands into his.

'I didn't think he was going to park himself right outside the house.' she muttered then looked down to her lap.

'Jake is psychotic. He's been trying to get close to you ever since he found out we were together. If Jake is involved, then I want to be involved. I don't know what tricks he has up his sleeve or what he's capable of so we need to be more careful when it comes to him.'

Olivia sheepishly nodded her head as she watched his facial expression visibly soften. Wanting to feel closer to him again, she scooted towards him and wrapped her arms around his broad waist then rested her head in the crook of his neck.

Fitz couldn't help but smile as his little woman made herself comfortable against his body. He kissed the top of her head for the second time that night and wrapped his arm around her. Obviously he wouldn't be getting much rest tonight.

'Are you staying the night?' she asked as she glanced up at him.

'I'm staying the night.' he confirmed with a smile and nod. 'Are you still going to try and get some work done tonight?'

'Yes.' she kissed his cheek softly. 'I probably wont be much fun.'

'Just being here with you is enough.' he said softly before placing a kiss on her lips and letting her go so she could return to her computer. Fitz leaned over and picked up one of the books that she had stacked up on the floor. 'Which one is the first one?'  
'Rotation.' she took away the book in his hand and handed him the first one instead. 'You actually want to read them?' she asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Of course!' he playfully hissed, snatching the book out of her hands. 'If it's important to you, then it's important to me.'

Olivia smiled widely. She knew he wasn't too big on her genre of writing but the fact that he was stilling to try the books out warmed her heart. 'Well, then ignore all my little notes and stuff in the margins. I don't have any clean versions on me.'

'So basically this has all your personal thoughts in it?' he grinned. 'Even better.'

She sucked her teeth and shook her head before turning her attention back to her computer. Fitz was never the type to get interested into novels but he wanted to give it a chance. After chapter 1, he truly got engrossed in it. He was almost finished with the first book within the first hour and a half.

They both decided to go to bed around 2:30 but Fitz was really invested so he took it with him. Olivia still wasn't in her pajamas so she went to the bathroom first to freshen up and get changed. When she came back out, he was sitting on her bed, still reading.

'I want to cuddle.' she crossed her arms and pouted, standing at the foot of the bed.

'Let me finish Chapter 34 then we will.' he said, ignoring her little hissy fit.

'Fine.' she huffed before crawling into bed beside him and picking her phone up. She decided to check a few emails and send a few messages until he got finished.

After another 15 minutes, Fitz suddenly gasped loudly and frowned as if somebody had just shot his mother in the streets. 'Olivia!'

She knew this was coming so she just smirked at him. He had obviously reached the end of Chapter 34 where she killed off one of the main characters. It had been a hard decision but she needed to maintain the shock factor that her books possessed.

'Yes, Fitz?' she asked coyly.

'Tell me this is a joke. Tell me that Vincent is just dreaming.' he asked desperately.

'You promised you'd cuddle with me after you got done reading this chapter.' she held her arms out for him and scooted closer.

'But why? Why would Mason do something like that to his brother? He was just starting to realize things about his past.' he turned to next page, trying to skim for a solution.

'Hey!' she took the book from his hands. 'Read later, cuddle now. Or I'll kill somebody else.' she raised her eyebrows, warning him not to test her.

Fitz sighed and reached over and turned the lamp on his side off and laid down on his back so she could settle into his side. Olivia placed a soothing kiss on his cheek as she lazily draped her arm over his chest.

'You really cant be upset with me. How can you write a story as immersive as that and then get mad when I get immersed?'

'Because I want attention.' she said matter of factly. 'I guess that's just the downside of dating a writer. Now shush.' she reprimanded as she let her eyes flutter shut.

'You're so mean to me.' he grunted. 'You're the meanest little woman I know.'

Olivia giggled softly at the temper tantrum her boyfriend was throwing. He was too adorable. 'Go to sleep, Fitz.'

After a few more minutes of whining from Fitz, they both drifted off to sleep. He knew he would have to go soon and he hated the fact that was going to have to leave her there by herself but he knew he had chores to finish. His only consolation was knowing that Jake wasn't going to be on duty for the rest of the day.

One thing was for certain, though. If Jake ever laid a finger on Olivia, they would have to dig him a grave.

* * *

 _ **Soooo I know its been a minute. I've been adjusting to intern/ DC life so I've been pretty busy. Anyways... I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it a little on the longer side since it's been a minute and a big chunk of it didn't have Fitz or Olivia in it.**_

 _ **Should the boys be punished for what they did to Donald or just get off? I haven't completely decided yet but I'm leaning one way. As usual, please review and tell me what you think and your favorite parts. I love reading you all's opinions lol.**_


	11. Fool For You

'Olivia.' he sighed in an exasperated tone. 'You cant be serious.' Fitz asked in disbelief as he looked his girlfriend up and down. She clearly was going to be the death of him today.

'What's wrong?' she asked, confused. Olivia glanced down at her outfit, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with it.

'We're just going to the general store to get you a pair of boots. Is all this really.. Necessary?' he motioned to her outfit again. 'What happened to those sweat pants and t-shirts you had on?'

Olivia huffed cutely before crossing her arms across her chest. She had changed from her pajamas and into a black Michael Kors dress she had bought from Neiman Marcus a few months before her arrival in Knights Ferry. It was sleeveless and fit her body in all of the right places, showing off her natural curves. Her hair was bumped up into big, bouncy curls and she was wearing a full face of makeup. She was definitely going to stand out of the small crowd in town.

Of course Fitz knew this about her when he met her. It was obvious that Olivia liked to dress nicely and look on point when she went out. Initially that was one of the things that attracted him to her but he wasn't liking it as much now. It had been almost a month since they had become an 'official couple' and he was growing tired of men ogling her whenever they went places. Some of the men from out of town had even been bold enough to approach her even if they were together. He was all but ready to beat the next man down.

Fitz took in the slit in the side of her dress that showed off her perfect cocoa colored thigh and let out a grunt. Clearly, she was going to be the death of him.

'I don't like to be in sweatpants 24/7 and I didn't bring a lot of pants with me.' she mumbled. She had gotten so used to the men in Knights Ferry constantly staring her down, it had never even occurred to her that it was making Fitz uncomfortable. She grabbed her black Jimmy Choo pumps and put them on her feet.

'Well, while we're looking for boots we can maybe get you a few pair of jeans?' he asked as he ushered her out of her front door and towards his truck.

Olivia's face scrunched up. It wasn't that she had a problem with denim but she saw the types of jeans the women wore here and she wanted no part in that. There was no way she was going to conform her wardrobe just to look the part here. She'd never be a typical Knights Ferry woman. 'No thanks.'

Fitz sighed but decided to let it be. He was never the type to be controlling and he definitely didn't want to start now. He would just have to grow a thicker skin when it came down to other people and their wandering eyes. Of course he knew he had a beautiful woman at his side- he just wished nobody else had noticed.

If he was completely honest with himself, he was feeling just a little insecure about the whole situation. He wasn't the most experienced person when it came to being in relationships and having to watch people ogle and flirt with Olivia was really making him uneasy. Fitz wasn't ashamed to admit that he was a bit selfish with what was his and Olivia was definitely _his_.

Since Jake had been caught watching Olivia from outside of her house a few weeks ago, things had been relatively quiet. He and Mellie had seemed to have backed off and Fitz now felt a lot more comfortable with her staying at home by herself. Obviously he would have loved to hold her at the ranch so they could be together 24/7 but he understood that she needed her independence.

Although they weren't spending their nights together anymore, it didn't mean they didn't find ways to spend time with each other on a daily basis. During the day while Olivia worked on her book, Fitz would sit beside her on his own laptop and work on his research papers. Today they were going to find her a pair of work boots so she walk around on the farm with him, spend the night together, then they would both be attending church services the next morning.

With a hand resting gently on her lower back, Fitz helped Olivia crawl into the passenger side of his truck before placing her small suitcase containing her cosmetics on the backseat. By the time he got in, her seat belt was on and she was ready to go.

'Tonight is Percy's bath night.' she stated with a huge smile on her face as she skimmed through the calendar on her phone.

Fitz groaned as if somebody just punched him straight in the gut. His interactions with Percy over the past few weeks had been less than enjoyable to say the very least. He could barely even get close to Olivia if the dog was anywhere near.

'Don't remind me. The little brat ate up a pair of my church socks last night.' he shook his head and frowned but kept his eyes on the road.

'Aw, did you get pictures?' she asked excitedly. 'I bet he looked so adorable.' she gushed, ignoring the annoyance in Fitz's voice.

'He needs to learn some discipline. He needs some extra structure or he's going to continue with these destructive behaviors and furthermore-'

'Stop being such a vet.' she halfheartedly scolded. 'I'll sit the 8 pound sock killer down today and have a long talk with him about his annoying behaviors. Better?'

Fitz huffed and kept his eyes on the road. Percy's behavior was really starting to irritate him and it made it even worse that Olivia wasn't taking it seriously. Sensing that he was starting to get a little exasperated, she reached over and pinched his cheek. She had been avoiding the dreaded 'first argument' and she definitely didn't want it to happen today.

'C'mon, Fitz. Smile for me.' she pushed the corners of his mouth into a grin. 'You look so much better when you're not frowning.'

'You can't just make me smile, Olivia.' he muttered while fighting back a chuckle, his lips still being held up by Olivia's pointer finger and thumb. He wanted to be upset but she made it extremely hard to stay mad at her. He pulled up to the parking lot of the general store and put the truck into park.

'Yes, I can. I do it all the time, actually.' she said in a matter of fact tone, her mouth curling up into its own natural smile. 'Don't be such a grumpy pants.'

Fitz tried maintain his semi-icy demeanor but his resolve had now completely slipped away. He removed her hand from his mouth and leaned in closer to her. 'It's extremely hard not to smile while I'm around you.'

'Mmm.' she hummed her approval and met him halfway over the center console of the truck. 'Can I have a good morning kiss, now? You've been a little mean to me this morning.'

'I'm sorry.' he pressed his lips against hers softly. 'Do you forgive me?'

'Yes.' she smiled and nodded her head.

Fitz chuckled softly before turning the truck off. After opening her door for her and helping her get out, they headed inside the front doors. Since it was Saturday, the store was filled with at least 20 people or so buying groceries or just hanging around.

By now, most of the residents of Knights Ferry knew that their relationship had been publicized on social media and that Max and Hooter had payed a surprise visit to Donald in the next town over. Although Olivia had been accepted as a member of the community, it didn't stop the unwarranted looks she got while walking through the store.

Fitz took a tight hold of Olivia's hand and picked up the pace of their walking speed.

'Fitz, slow down.' she said as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. Her heels clicking up against the hardwood of the floors only managed to bring extra attention to them, though. She didn't know what had gotten into her usually gentle boyfriend but she wished he would come back.

Olivia honestly hadn't been back inside the local store since the day she met Jake while getting groceries. It definitely wasn't on the top of her list of 'good days' and she had been trying to avoid coming back here. She waved a little awkwardly at the store owners and their daughter, Emily, who was both sitting behind the one cash register.

Emily and Mellie had been very close friends since grade school. When she saw Fitz and Olivia walk in together hand in hand, it made her stomach turn a flip. She knew how much her best friend loved Fitz and it almost felt like a punch to the gut to see him waltzing in with this new woman on his arm.

She didn't personally have a problem with Olivia. If she were completely honest, she actually liked her a little. It wasn't that she was a bad person, she was just in the way of her friend's happiness. At this point, she'd do almost anything to make sure that her friend Mellie got the man of her dreams.

After turning off her register, she walked to the back of the store into their supply closet. Her little cousin, Marlon, was visiting them for the weekend and he had been hiding out in there until the store closed down. He was a handsome young man and Emily knew he'd do almost anything to make a few quick dollars.

Marlon hadn't grown up in Knights Ferry and rarely ever came around and Emily occasionally found herself being jealous of him. He lived in a nice area of Manhattan and actually got the opportunity to go to college, something she wasn't afforded.

'Hey, dipshit.' she pulled one of his earphones out because he was listening to music. 'I'll give you $20 if you do me a favor.'

'What kind of favor?' his eyebrow cocked as he stood up and followed her out of the closet.

'See that black lady back there with that guy looking at shoes?' she gestured over to Olivia and Fitz.

'Damn she's fine. What about her?'

'I need you to go flirt with her. Stand close to her and make her laugh. Wait until her boyfriend walks away, though.'

'Shit, I'd do that for free.' he grinned but then his eyebrows furrowed. 'What's the catch, Emily? It can't be that simple.'

'It is.' she confirmed defensively. 'Once you do it, I'll give you $20 in cash. I have to get back to my register. Don't screw this up!' she poked his chest with her pointer finger before walking away.

Sitting down on the closest stool, Olivia watched on as Fitz studied the shoes on the countertops. She crinkled her nose but kept her complaints to herself as she analyzed the small selection. They really only had 3 choices so she wondered what was taking so long for him to just pick a pair up.

'Which one do you like better?' Fitz asked, holding up a brown and black pair in both of his hands. He knew neither pair was too appealing to the eyes but it was a necessary evil.

'The brown ones I suppose.' she sighed and slipped her high heels off of her feet and set them neatly beside her.

'Good choice.' he nodded and grabbed a boot in her size and slid the box over to her so that she can try them on.

Olivia pushed the boots up on her feet and glanced down at them. 'These are hideous.' she grumbled.

'They're not supposed to be fashion statements.' he crossed his arms across his chest. 'They're built to keep your feet safe while you're out working.'

'I guess.' she sighed and stood up to look at her feet in the mirror that had been placed on the floor. 'They're just really boxy and heavy.'

'Then they're doing their job.' he explained. He watched as Olivia took the boots back off of her feet and grabbed her heels to put back on. He grabbed the box and put it under his arm. 'I'm going to go pay for these. Meet me at the register.'

'Fine.' she sighed for what seemed like the 14th time since they had been sitting in the store. She sat back down on the stool and watched him walk away as she slipped her shoes back on her feet. Dating Fitz had a lot of advantages but the fashion definitely wasn't one of them.

Olivia sucked in some air, puffing her cheeks out in preparation to take a deep breath. She would have to just settle for this for now. In perspective, it was a teeny, tiny sacrifice for what she was getting in return. A small smile played on her lips as she glanced up at her man up at the front of the small store waiting in line.

Her nose crinkled as someone came into her line of vision, obstructing her view of Fitz. She looked up to meet the eyes of a stranger. He had sea green eyes that bore directly into her skin, obviously taking in her physical features. He was tall, muscular and seemed to be around the age of 20. Olivia thought she had met everyone in town but obviously she was wrong.

'Hey?' she sat up straight in her stool, now looking directly up at him.

'Hey, pretty lady.' he said as smoothly as he knew how. 'My name is Marlon and I'm here visiting my uncle for the weekend and I just wanted to let you know that you breath taking. Olivia Pope, am I right?'

'That would be correct.' she studied him for a moment. 'And thank you for the compliment but I already have a-'

'A boyfriend?' he finished her sentence for her. 'I know. I've seen the pictures on my Twitter. I don't know who that guy is but let me tell you, you could do so much better.'

Olivia stopped herself from rolling her eyes and stood to her feet. Obviously this conversation with this young man was quickly going nowhere. She had truly heard enough and she knew Fitz would probably be ready to head out by the time she walked to the front of the store. 'Really? You think so?'

'I mean, of course. Especially if he's just some country guy from around here. You're a celebrity. What in the world do you want with some cow poop scooper from Knights Ferry?' he asked, still standing in front of Olivia and not allowing her to walk around him. 'I'm studying spine health right now in school.' he said, braggingly.

'So you want to be a chiropractor?' she asked as she tried to take a step around him. She was trying to be polite but she really didn't care to hear the answer. Olivia usually loved to interact with her fans when they spotted her in public but every now and again she ran into somebody who just couldn't take a hint.

'Nah.' he stepped in front of her again, blocking her way once more. 'I'm just trying to crack backs.' he spoke lowly in a seductive like voice and licked his lips.

Olivia studied his face for a moment, clearly not completely understanding sexual innuendo in his little joke. As the wheels in her head began to turn, her eyes widened. She wanted to be offended and tell the guy off but she had to admit that his little pickup line was pretty funny. Unable to help herself, she burst into a fit of laughter.

All of Fitz's attention had been focused on his wallet and paying for the boots until he heard the distinct sound of Olivia giggling. His head shot up in curiosity, wondering what in the world she found so funny. He could feel his blood nearly boiling over as he saw some unfamiliar guy standing uncomfortably close to his girlfriend.

He slid two $20 bills over to Emily, who was behind the counter with a satisfied grin on her face, and grabbed the bag with his purchase underneath his arm. He wasn't exactly sure who this man was but he was way too close for comfort. When he saw Marlon reach out and touch Olivia's arm, he became a man on a mission. It was time for them to go.

Fitz's rushed strides through the store managed to bring attention to him. At this point he honestly didn't care that he was causing a little scene.

'Olivia.' he said, his voice full of irritation. He didn't even acknowledge the guy standing right beside them. Fitz took hold of her arm to grab her attention. 'Are you ready to go?'

Marlon took a small step back from the both of them. He hadn't gotten a chance to see Fitz up close and didn't realize how much bigger he was than him. He definitely didn't like picking fights with people he knew could easily overpower him. Deciding to make peace, he outstretched his arm to Fitz.

'Hi, my name is Marlon.'

Fitz looked him up and down for a moment, studying him. He grabbed his hand and shook it, squeezing it as he sized the younger man up. 'Fitzgerald Grant.' he stated simply.

Marlon winced as the pain shot through his hand and quickly put it behind his back. He gave them both an apologetic smile and made a mental note to kill his cousin for setting him up like this. 'Well, it was very nice meeting you both.'

'Likewise.' Olivia nodded her head in his direction and shot him back a similar smile.

Before any more words could be exchanged, Fitz told hold of her hand and started leading her out of the store. It didn't take long for the small crowd of people in the store to start whispering amongst one another about what they think happened.

Olivia opened up her own door when they got to the truck and got inside. She watched him as he silently pulled out of the parking lot and started driving towards the ranch. As much as she wanted to avoid arguing, she could feel the tension in the air.

'Fitz..'

'I don't like him.' he stated, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. He could feel her gaze burning a hole in the side of his cheek but he refused to look at her. Of course he knew he was being just a little irrational but he couldn't help himself.

'You don't know him.' her eyes rolled and she crossed her arms across her chest.

'And you do?' his eyebrow cocked involuntarily.

'No, I don't. The only thing I know about him is that his name is Marlon and that he's visiting or something like that.'

'And what'd he say that was so funny?'

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip. She didn't think that Marlon's little pickup line would be appropriate to repeat especially since it would probably just make him angrier. 'It was just a little joke. I don't even remember it.'

'You don't remember the joke he just told you 5 minutes ago?'

'If I said I don't remember it then I don't remember it.' she snapped and looked out of her window. 'Why are you reacting this way? It's not like I was making out with the guy. We were just having a conversation.'

'A conversation where he was standing less than an inch away from you and touching all over your arm.' Fitz said, exaggerating the situation to himself.

'First of all, that didn't happen. Yes, he was standing very close to me but he only touched my arm once.' she defended. 'And secondly, you're being so pigheaded right now and its ridiculous.'

'How am I supposed to react with somebody is flirting with my girlfriend? Just sit back and watch it go on?' he finally looked over at her.

'Like a mature adult! I expect you not to make a scene at the store. Everybody was staring at us!'

'Everybody was already staring at us! As soon as we walked in all eyes were on us. Would it kill you to dress normally when we went out? Does going to the general store really require you to put on some designer outfit?' he gestured to her outfit before turning his attention back to the street as they drove on the dirt road the ranch was on.

'So that's what this is about? You don't like the way I dress?' she turned her body back towards him, now glaring.

'I never said I don't like the way you dress.' he grumbled as he drives through the iron gates of the property.

'Just because I'm living in Knights Ferry doesn't mean that I'm going to start acting like some nice little country girl. It's not my fault that people find me attractive and look at me!'

'Why are you yelling at me just because I shared my feelings with you!? All I want is to have a peaceful outing without having to worry about some random guy staring holes into my girlfriends thighs!' they approached the house and he put the truck in park.

'Well, I'm sorry that your girlfriend is too pretty for you to handle, Fitzgerald! If its too overwhelming then maybe you should just find a girlfriend from around here!' she reached to the backseat and grabbed her cosmetics bag. 'You can wear matching overalls for all I care!'

Olivia flung the door of the truck open then hopped down to the ground. After grabbing the handle and slamming the door, she stomped her way up the stairs of the porch then walks into the house, fuming.

Fitz sighed and ran his hands over his face then through his hair as he tried to replay the past 30 minutes in his head. Everything was going great until he had to open his big mouth. Deciding that he'd give her a little while to cool down, he went to go and feed the dogs and take a short walk.

After turning the truck off, he headed to the shed where the dogs ate and gathered up his homemade formula. He tried taking his mind off of their argument with his farm work but it was nearly impossible.

If he wanted this to work out with her, he would have to learn how to communicate his thoughts. Fitz definitely didn't want to lose her over some petty argument.

Olivia had never been the type to stay upset for too long and she hated that she and Fitz were even arguing over something as silly as some flirty kid. Growing up in her parent's household taught her that yelling would never solved problems and she chastised herself for even letting it get that far. They both needed to sit down and talk their issues out.

As soon as Olivia got settled inside of the house, she fished her phone out of her purse and started scrolling through her phone numbers. It was no secret that she and Abbey hadn't been on the best of terms since she had been with Fitz but they were quickly getting back to the way things were. Talking things out with her best friend would allow her some clarity. She let Percy out of his cage before walking towards the kitchen to fill up his food bowl.

'Hello?' Abbey answered in a happy, sing song voice. She was obviously unaware of her friend's downcast mood.

'Abbey.' she sighed. 'Coco coconut.'

Abbey's eyebrows furrowed and repeated their secret 'codeword' 'Coco coconut. What's wrong, Olivia? Are you ok?'

'I'm fine.' she sat down at the island and watched Percy sniff his food but turn his head away from it. He obviously wasn't very happy with the fact that it wasn't the normal human cuisine he had been enjoying from Olivia. 'Fitz and I had a little.. Argument.'

'An argument about what?' she pressed Olivia to speak on as she sat down on her sofa in preparation of listen to her relationship woes. While she wasn't always on board with them being together, it made Abbey happy to see her friend so over the moon. She knew he had to be something special.

'We went out to the store today and some kid was flirting with me and he got kinda jealous. Then I got mad that he caused a scene then it just all kind of escalated from there.' she vented. 'He told me that he doesn't like the way people stare at me when we go out and I told him that he needed to find another girlfriend if he couldn't handle it.'

'Oh, Liv.' she said sympathetically. 'You know you cant speak out of passion like that. You always say-'

'Things I regret. I know.' Olivia sighed. 'I have to apologize, don't I?'

'Yes.' Abbey smirked, glad that she came to the right conclusion on her own. 'Where are you right now?'

'In his kitchen sitting by myself.' she held her phone in between her ear and shoulder, now using her finger to run circles on her exposed knee. 'We made it to the ranch and I stormed out of the truck and went inside and he never followed me. I'm assuming that he's outside doing work.'

'You guys are going to be ok. Couples argue everyday then stay together until they both die.' Abbey reassured with a slight chuckle. 'After this little hurdle I'm sure you two will be back to being the gross new couple on the block.' she joked.

Olivia chuckled lightly. 'Thanks, Abbey. I don't think I would consider us gross, though.'

'Whatever helps you sleep better at night, babe.' she smirked. 'As much as I would love to listen to you go on about your near perfect boyfriend, I actually have work to do. I'm meeting with your publisher soon so I hope you've been writing.'

Olivia swallowed hard before responding. She had only completed another 2 chapters in the past month and hadn't even bothered to edit them. Fitz served as the best type of distraction. 'Yes, mother. Thanks for talking to me. I think I just needed to vent for a little while.'

'No need to thank me. It's pretty much my job to listen to you jabber on about your boring personal life.' she teased half heartedly. 'I love you Livvie Wivvie.'

'I love you too, Abbey Wabbey.' she waited a moment before hanging up the phone. 'Oh, and Abbey.'

'Yes, Olivia?'

'I think- I think I love him.' she admitted sheepishly, her face turning a little warm. 'I don't know. Maybe its too soon to tell but I think its real.'

'Wow.' Abbey flopped down in a chair in her living room. This was definitely news to her. She had been there with Olivia through every single one of her past relationships and she had never dared to say the word love before. 'This is new. How do you feel?'

'I don't know.' she sighed. 'Nervous? Scared? Excited? Maybe its a combination of all those things. You remember that time your parents took us to that water park for your 10th birthday and we got in the wave pool and the water rushed over our heads?'

'Of course. My mom and dad were holding us up so we wouldn't completely drown.' she laughed at the memory.

'That's kind of how it feels. Like some type of wave rushing over my head and making me think I'm going to drown but oddly safe. Do you know what I mean?' she sighed, frustrated as she tried explaining her feelings to Abbey and herself.

'So it's an overwhelming, but exciting, feeling. You feel like you may drown because its something new and a little scary but you know somebody has your back to make sure that doesn't happen?' she prompting, trying to help her friend work through some of her emotions.

'Yes.' A small smiled played on her lips. Of course Abbey understood what she meant. She always did. 'I can't wait until you can meet him. He's so sweet and humble and smart - Even when he is acting like a big angry caveman.'

'All that's great but he still needs to pass the best friend test. Your judgement may be a little clouded, lovebird.' she playfully provoked, causing Olivia to laugh.

After the friends said their goodbyes, Olivia put her phone away. She checked the clock and realized it was almost time for lunch so she decided to make something for Fitz to eat when he came back in. She was sure that he'd be hungry when he finished with his chores.

Once she got done raiding through his refrigerator, she found enough ingredients to put together some lunch for them to share. She checked the time and figured she had at least 30 more minutes until he got hungry enough to come back to the house. After throwing together sautéed vegetables and chicken she placed it in the microwave so it could stay warm.

Just as she suspected, Fitz's growling stomach brought him back within the next hour. He thought maybe giving her some more time would be better but he had gotten hungry. Plus, he missed her. Even though they had just got done arguing and yelling at one another, he missed her.

And maybe it was a little irrational to miss somebody after being apart for about an hour but here he was.

Olivia had settled in on the sectional with Percy to wait for him to get back. Her head immediately shot up when she heard the front door open. She rose to her feet and gave him a small smile as she watched him take his boots off and hang his hat up. She was done arguing and raising her voice. She wanted her man back.

Fitz was pleasantly surprised to find her smiling when he got back and it was even better that he smelled food. He kept his hands at his sides as he walked towards the couch, approaching her slowly. A smile of his own started to form on his face as she seemed to accept his advance. Soon, he was a mere one foot away from her.

Before he could open up his mouth to say a word, Percy began to bark and parade himself around Fitz's feet. Olivia chuckled softly before picking him up and taking him over to his cage. This was normally taboo for her to do but they needed to have a talk and he definitely wasn't going to let that happen.

After locking Percy away, she walked back over to where Fitz was standing. Slowly, without breaking eye contact with him, she took both of his hands in hers then lightly rubbed her thumbs over his calloused knuckles.

'Hi.' she said softly.

'Hi.' he mumbled back to her, wanting to take her lips but refusing. There would be time for that later. He was absolutely sure of that.

'Can we.. Talk? I mean actually have a conversation.' she bit down on her bottom lip then glanced down at her bare feet. 'Not like earlier. Not the yelling mean things at each other.'

'I like the sound of that.' he nodded his head and squeezed down on her hands gently.

Walking backwards, Olivia led them over to the couch and they sat next to one another. She sat back in her seat then angled her body so she could face towards him. 'Want me to go first?'

'Can I? I think I have the most to be sorry for.' Olivia nodded her head so he continued. 'So I think that I can admit that I'm just a little.. Insecure.. When it comes to you. I feel like we've moved really fast in the past month and it's almost unbelievable that I have a new girlfriend who's smart and successful and pretty and honestly not like any other woman I've met.'

Olivia's skin would've turned red if she was a few shades lighter. Fitz complimented her all the type but it never ceased to leave her flustered.

'And it just kills me that every man in Knights Ferry can't keep their eyes off of you. I went to the bar a few nights ago they were talking about you and what they think is under your dress and-' he took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. 'I know it shouldn't bother me but it just makes me so angry. And I guess it doesn't help that Jake has been bothering us since the very beginning.'

'Fitz..' she said softly then touched his knee. 'You don't have to worry about them. I'm not going anywhere. I would never-'

'I know you would never cheat on me.' he said quickly, reassuring that he trusted her. 'I just don't like it. I hate having to share you. It's just so many outside factors on our relationship and I just want to protect it. What we have is special but its new and still kind of fragile. So, I'm sorry for being a dick at the store earlier. It was immature and stupid and it should've never happened. I'm going to do better.'

Olivia smiled softly. She could tell it was taking a lot for her big, strong rugged man to be this vulnerable around her. She knew first hand that laying your insecurities out could be scary and she was extremely proud of him.

'You're not sharing me, silly man. I'm right here with you, alright?'

'Alright.' he nodded then smiled. Fitz leaned into her body, ready to kiss her.

Olivia held her hand in between their faces, causing Fitz's lips to crash against her small fingers. 'I have something to say first.'

He sighed and nodded his head then sat back in his seat. Fitz knew that this conversation was necessary but he was tired of having it. At this point he just wanted to sit back and eat while enjoying her company.

'I'm sorry for yelling and the things I told you. None of that was true. I was just upset and trying to hurt your feelings. And I would totally care if you got another girlfriend and you guys wore matching overalls.' they both shared a light laugh before Fitz took both of her hands in his.

'So.. Do we forgive each other?' he wiggled his eyebrows, making her giggle.

'Yes. We forgive each other.' she scooted closer to where he was sitting. 'We survived the first argument.'

'Hm, I suppose we did. I think we did a pretty good job.' he grinned widely. 'Thank God because I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to go before I did this.'

Olivia shot him a questioning look but his plans became abundantly clear as he launched himself on top of her. Without another word being spoken, Fitz had her pinned down to the couch and he settled himself in between her legs. He playfully nibbled at her jawline, aiming for the ticklish spot located right where her neck met her jaw.

Kicking her legs and squealing, Olivia made a failed attempt of pushing her extremely heavy and affectionate boyfriend off of her. 'Fitz, stop! I made us some lunch!'

'Lunch later.' he growled against her ear before pressing his lips down to hers, shushing all further arguments. Food could definitely wait.

* * *

After a long night of eating junk food and watching Netflix, Fitz and Olivia both had raised early to eat some breakfast and get ready for church services the next day. They worked as a team to get breakfast ready and ate in a comfortable silence.

Church still wasn't Olivia's most favorite thing to do but it had become apart of their weekly routine. Using an extra pump of concealer so that she could hide the bags under her eyes had become a normal Sunday morning habit. It was nice to spend extra time with Fitz but she would much rather just sleep in late. She had spent some time over the past few weeks wondering if anyone knew that she had basically been faking her smiles on church days.

When they pulled up to the church the doors were already shut. They were running a few minutes late this morning. It had taken them 10 minutes to find one of Fitz's church shoes after Percy dragged it under the couch in the living room. The loafer had to be heavier than his little body so Fitz found himself more impressed than upset with the dog.

Olivia walked in front of Fitz up to the sanctuary's entrance but took a step away from them, allowing him to open the door for her. It was definitely a learned habit since she had been staying there. She never minded opening her own doors but it was something that he really seemed to enjoy doing for her so she indulged him.

'Thank you.' she shot him a smile before walking through the church doors. Luckily services hadn't quite begun yet so they hadn't missed much. Since their usual seats had been taken, they took up residence in one of the pews in the back.

'You look cute today.' Olivia beamed proudly as she look him up and down the used her hand to straighten his shirt out. He was wearing his white button up that was reserved for special occasions and church and it was definitely her favorite. She found herself getting excited when she saw him put it on this morning.

'Would you stop looking at me like a piece of meat? We're in the Lord's house. Have you no shame?' Fitz facetiously chastised her semi crude behavior before swatting at her hand still placed on his chest.

'Get over it, Fitzgerald, you're my piece of meat and I can look at you all I want.' she sassily retorted.

'This is such a double standard. If I was doing this to you then I'd be in trouble.' he poked his bottom lip out at Olivia and her heart nearly melted. He was so adorable when he wanted to be.

'Again, get over it.' she smirked and shook her head. 'That's what you get for being so handsome.'

Fitz laughed and scooted closer to her, resting his left arm on the back of the pew behind her. The morning seemed to be going by pretty fast but he really wished it would slow down. They'd be parting ways at the end of the night and he really didn't think he was ready for that just yet.

'So you're just with me for my looks? I think I'm offended.'

Olivia smirked and crossed her legs, settling herself in the crook of his arm. 'Your looks and your money, actually. You were pretty easy prey.'

'I should break up with you, you know. I need somebody that's going to want me for me. I don't need this type of negativity in my life.' he said, his eyebrows raised as if he was offended.

'Do it, Grant.' she playfully dared him.

'Maybe after dinner. It's your turn to cook and you've already promised me stuffed bell peppers.' he said matter of factly and they laughed. They had been sitting in their own little world since entering the church, blocking out everybody else in the sanctuary.

Because word traveled fast, most people in town had heard about their small argument the previous day at the general store. The rumor going around was that Olivia was caught sleeping with another man and Fitz found out and dragged her out of the store. It was a pleasant surprise to see them come in and behave like the affectionate couple that they were. Most people loved seeing them together and were happy that Fitz found somebody that made him walk around as if he was on cloud 9 24/7.

 _Most people_ were happy to see them together.

Mellie had been waiting for Fitz to come in and nearly choked when she saw them both smiling and happy. Word had spread pretty quickly about their little exchange in the store the previous day and she was convinced that they'd be upset with one another.

'I thought you said they were pissed at each other.' she hissed at her best friend that was sitting beside her. She didn't want to take all her anger out on Emily but this definitely did blow her good mood.

'They were!' she sternly whispered. 'I sent my little cousin over to flirt with her and he looked really mad when they left. He practically dragged her out by her hair.' she said, obviously over exaggerating the story to her friend to make her feel better.

'Well, they're back there practically cuddling this morning so it obviously wasn't that bad!' she grunted then rubbed her temples. The entire situation was stressing her out.

Jake had chickened out on her for the past few weeks on all of her latest schemes to break Olivia and Fitz up. Mellie didn't know what his problem was but he was going to have to get it together if they ever wanted their plans to work. They needed to work as a team and he hadn't been participating.

After doing a quick glance around the room, she realized that Jake must not have shown up for the church today. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at his absence. He had told her that it pained him to watch Olivia and Fitz together but Mellie just saw him as a little coward.

'This is such bullshit.' she crossed her arms, pouting.

Emily bit down on her bottom lip. Maybe helping Mellie wasn't the best thing to do but she really wanted to see her friend happy. 'If the sheriff cant help you then I will. I know how much you like Fitz, Mellie. You've liked him since we were teenagers.'

'I- I think I love him.' she admitted softly to Emily and herself. From that moment she was convinced. She was totally, completely, and boldly with Thomas Fitzgerald Grant III.

Before they could continue their conversation, Pastor Richards made his way up to the pulpit. He wore a sweet smile on his face that was starting to show the signs of aging. He did a mental head count of his congregation, checking to see if anybody was missing and realized Mayor Holland wasn't in attendance. Assuming that he had just gotten a little drunk at James' the previous night he decided to just start with his sermon.

It wasn't until near the end of the Pastor's message that the Mayor burst through the sanctuary doors, causing heads to turn towards him. His face was bright red and he looked extremely angry in his striped pajamas and house shoes. He didn't make eye contact with any of his citizens as he made his way up the front podium, pushing the Pastor out of the way so he could reach the microphone.

'Alright, who do it?' he asked, cutting his eyes at the whole entire congregation. Noting the confused look on everybody's face, he took a deep breath. He needed to clarify his statement.

'Mayor Holland I was in the middle of my-' Pastor Richards approached him slowly, trying to regain control of the situation.

'Cut the shit, Thomas.' Mayor Holland said curtly and waved him away before addressing the people once more. 'I received a phone call early this morning from the next town over saying that earlier this month some of our citizens kidnapped a boy and stole his clothes and I need to know who did it. I've been on the phone with the police all day!'

An eery silence fell over the congregation. Of course most of the people in town knew exactly who did it but nobody was willing to be a whistle blower, either. The Mayor grunted and smacked his hands down on the podium.

Max swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat then glanced over at his group of friends sitting next to him. Of course he knew that they might have gotten into trouble but he never expected the police to be involved. This had gone way further than it was supposed to.

'I need to know who did it! Right now! If you come forward quietly then the punishment wont be as bad.' the Mayor bellowed into the microphone, still analyzing the crowd and looking for a guilty face.

'It was me!' Max stood up to his feet. He didn't want to get in trouble but he'd definitely take this one for the team since it was his idea in the first place. 'I did it!'

'Wait, don't punish him! I did it!' Shannon stood up confidently beside Max. If he was getting into trouble then they'd have to punish her right along with him. They were in this together.

Mayor Holland rolled his eyes. While he believed Max had his hand in this, he knew there was no way in the world Shannon had to strength to beat somebody up. 'Alright, well since you two decided to misbehave, I'm going to have to punish you both. You all have to help Dr. Grant on the farm everyday after school for the rest of the month.'

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed when he heard that. He didn't mind having the kids around the help but he really didn't appreciate the Mayor volunteering him and his ranch without even speaking to him first. Now he would have to actually come up with something for them to do and they were cutting into time he could be spending with Olivia. In his opinion he got the short end of this stick.

The teenagers breathed a collective sigh of relief. This definitely wasn't the first time they had gotten into trouble and had to do some hard work at the ranch and they were sure this wouldn't be the last time, either. In their opinion, they got off pretty easy.

'Oh and you can both forget about your little prom later on this week. You all don't deserve to have a dance after what you all did to that young man!' the Mayor added on in a huff. He was getting way too old to be dealing with a bunch of immature children. This job was going to be the death of him.

'Hey! That's not fair!' Shannon cried out, feeling as if somebody had just pierced through her chest. 'We've been planning this for months!'

Max touched her hand, trying to calm her down. She got a little irrational when she was angry and he didn't think acting up in the middle of church was the best idea.

'Life's not fair!' the Mayor snapped back at her. 'My word is final. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back home and try to clean up the mess you all made.' he cut his eyes at the kids once more before taking a step back from the podium and making his exit.

Pastor Richards approached the microphone slowly, still in slight disbelief of what just happened. He cleared his throat to catch his congregation's attention. 'This now concludes our Sunday message. Everyone have a good week.'

* * *

'You guys are absolutely psychotic.' Olivia said, laughing. They were sitting out on the porch in white rocking chairs. They had enjoyed their dinner together and had decided to just watch the dogs play around in the yard. Percy, who felt too uppity to socialize with the other dogs today, was sitting at Olivia's feet and ready to pounce on any dog, or Fitz, who came too close to her. 'Who bursts into a church and curses at the Pastor?'

'Apparently Mayor Holland.' he said with an eye roll. Not only was the Mayor's behavior unnecessary, it was extremely inappropriate. 'And now I have to come up with some work for them to do around here.'

'Aw, poor baby.' Olivia poked her lip out cutely at him, trying to seem sympathetic towards his situation. 'But if they're outside doing your chores then you have more time to spend inside with me.' she reasoned.

'I wish.' he ran his fingers through his hair, a habit that drove Olivia wild. Honestly anytime she got to see his muscles flex she went crazy. 'I need to be there to watch them. I don't want them messing anything up or somebody getting hurt. I'm going to have to supervise them.'

'I can help.' she smiled at him and reached over to take his hand. 'Whatever you need me to do.'

'Whatever I need you to do?' he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and making her giggle.

'You're so silly.' she shook her head at his misbehavior. 'I meant anything for the kids. You can take Max and I can take Shannon and we'll do some of the lighter work.'

'You? Do work? Ha! I'll believe it when I see it.' he teased.

'God you're such a pig, Fitz.' she pouted and stood up from her rocking chair. She was about to walk inside and separate herself from him but he was not having that. He was going to have to take her home soon but until then he wanted to keep her close to him.

Fitz grabbed her hand and pulled her back over to him. Despite her trying to resist, he was able to pull her down into his lap and wrap his arms around her body so she couldn't make it too far. Her bottom lip was still poked out and her eyebrows were knitted together, showing him how upset she was at him.

'Why would you call me a pig?' he asked, fighting back the little grin about to play at his lips.

'The shoe fits.' she said matter of factly and crossed her arms. She had learned that trying to get away from him was an absolute waste of time and energy so she sat still.

'Oink, oink.' Fitz snorted like a pig before attacking the ticklish spot on the side of her neck with kisses. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist him after that.

Olivia squealed loudly then burst into laughter. In all reality, it was way too hot outside to be on top of one another but the scorching California sun was a non-factor at the moment. She turned her head slightly so that she could take his lips, halting his playful assault. After turning her body and making a position adjustment, she was straddling his hips and holding his face in her hands.

'You're getting hairy, baby.' she mumbled, her fingers lightly scratching at the scruff forming on his face. 'I like it.'

'I'll have to keep it then.' he pressed his lips back against hers, shushing her further comments.

Fitz's hands up from her waist and to her shoulders then back down her body. His fingertips took their residence in the hemline of her yoga pants and , _oh_ , there was that feeling again. The one that made it so hard to breath she thought she may drown. The one that overwhelmed her each and every time.

Since being together, Olivia had learned that he definitely wasn't the boldest person when it came down to expressing what he wanted. They had been together for almost a month now and they hadn't even spoken about sex. As much as she wanted to bring it up, she refrained. She wanted him to lead the conversation.

But today seemed a little different from the other days. Today Fitz's hands traveled lower and he kneaded her firm behind through the spandex of her pants. She let out a soft moan against his lips, encouraging his behavior and reassuring that it was something that she wanted.

This had easily become one of his favorite things to do. Not necessarily touching her or kissing her but making her moan. Feeling her body shudder against his with every touch had become somewhat of a hobby. Just knowing the places on Olivia Pope's body that made her shiver brought him one of the most ultimate pleasures.

He would be lying if he said he didn't love the way her ass filled the palm of his hands. It was a feeling like no other to have the woman that everybody wanted but only he could have sitting in his lap and moaning against his mouth. Fitz, being more of a traditional man himself, believed in taking relationships slowly but she made it so hard.

Right now she was making something _else_ pretty hard but he was trying to ignore it.

As much as he wanted her, he didn't want to push her into something that would make her uncomfortable. He could, and would, wait as long as he needed to for the woman of his dreams.

While Percy had been asleep on the porch floor, the increasing pitch of Olivia's moans caused him to spring awake. After glancing around and checking for her, he saw where she was perched into Fitz's lap. Quickly rising to his feet, he bit down hard onto Fitz's bare ankle.

'Ow!' Fitz pulled away from their all consuming kiss then looked down and rolled his eyes. Percy was still attached to his skin and it stung a lot worse than usual. He would have to file down the little pest's teeth if he was going to continue to lash out with bites.

'Aw, did Fitz wake you up?' Olivia asked to Percy before peeling herself away from Fitz's body. She picked Percy up into her arms so he'd unlatch from Fitz. 'Did you hurt your little teeth biting down on that hard stinky foot?'

'Um, hello? I'm bleeding over here.' Fitz said, gesturing down to his now broken skin. Of course Percy's the one who gets all the sympathy when he was the one who attacked first. 'Earth to Olivia.'

'You'll be alright.' she waved away her whiny boyfriend with a little smirk. 'He was just playing around.'

'He bit me! I don't think he was joking around.' he stood to his feet, now almost eye level with the dog as he glared at him.

'He's 8 pounds wet, Fitz.' her eyes rolled. 'Now go inside and get the first aid kit and I'll wrap your ankle up.'

Fitz huffed before shooting Percy one more look and making his way inside the house. The thought that some miniature mutt that he saved had effectively stolen his girlfriend baffled him on a daily basis.

* * *

Olivia would be lying if she said she wasn't curious as to why the teenagers did what they did. They had all been so nice to her, it seemed pretty out of character for them to act out the way that they did. She sat and watched over Shannon as she bottle fed Bully and Dahlia and a few of the other baby animals Fitz had gotten recently.

'Miss Pope.' Shannon said, bringing her out of her thoughts. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure.' she nodded her head. Her attempt at being stern with her hadn't been working and she gave that up within the first 10 minutes. 'What is it?'

'When's the next book going to come out?' she asked, all her attention now on Olivia.

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Of course she had to ask a question about something she didn't even know the answer to herself. Her plan was to write it over the next year but at the snail's pace she was going at, she may be 35 by the time her publisher gets a hold of it.

'I'm working on it.' she said a little cryptically. 'Definitely going to be a surprise release.'

'That's pretty cool.' she smiled and nodded her head, satisfied with her answer.

'Well, can I ask you something?' she cocked her head and walked over to where she was standing and feeding the animals. 'Why in the world would you travel outside of Knights Ferry to beat somebody up?'

Shannon sighed but decided to tell the truth since they couldn't get into much more trouble even if they tried. 'The guy that Max and Hooter beat up is an asshole. A complete and utter asshole. He's the one that posted that picture of you and Dr. Grant on Twitter. We came up with the plan but me and Max took the fall for the group.'

Olivia's face flustered a little. 'You all can't run around like vigilantes just because he did something that wasn't nice. He could've been hurt.'

'He deserved it.' she shrugged and turned her attention back to the calf she was feeding. 'If you mess with Knights Ferry then Knights Ferry is going to mess with you. We're a family here and we have to take care of each other. That's what the Mayor says all the time.'

She folded her arms across her chest. 'I think when Mayor Holland says that he means to be open to doing things like sharing sugar or having picnics, not committing crimes.'

'It's not anything our parents wouldn't have done growing up. I just hate that we cant go to our own prom. I don't really think that was really fair.'

'Prom should be the least of you all's worries. Max and Hooter could've been arrested!'

'We've been planning this whole dance out for months. I know we shouldn't have done it but we were really looking forward to it. Didn't you really enjoy your prom?'

Olivia shook her head. 'I wasn't allowed to go to my prom. I had to take the ACT the next day and my parents made me stay home and study.'

'Well, that sucks.' Shannon commented. 'It's supposed to be a special time. My mom made my dress by hand to make sure I had something really pretty to wear. Max saved up for a whole year to get a nice suit to match.'

Olivia's facial expression slightly softened at the girl's admission. 'And you guys knew you might be sacrificing this for us?'

Shannon sheepishly nodded her head. 'I mean we already really didn't like him but that was the breaking point, I think.'

'You guys really need to start thinking about the consequences of your actions.' she lightly scolded before taking her seat once more to watch her finish the chores. She was actually starting to feel a little sorry for them after hearing the whole story. Maybe she did have somewhat of a soft spot for the kids.

Later on that night, Olivia was laying on her back to Fitz, looking up at the ceiling. She didn't know the exact time but it had to have been around 2am and she just couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. She hadn't been tossing and turning all night but Fitz could sense her tension.

'You're thinking too loud. Go to bed, little woman.' he said gruffly before rolling over and throwing his arm around her abdomen. He liked having her close while he slept even though they never regularly spooned. He wasn't looking forward to having to press an uncomfortable erection against her ass all night long.

'I'm trying.' she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

'Alright.' he sat up in the bed and turned on the light on his stand. He had learned that she much preferred to talk her issues out and he had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sleep until she did. 'What's eating at you, Livvie?'

Olivia sighed and sat up next to him. 'Today I was talking to Shannon and she told me that the reason they beat up that kid was because he was the one who posted the picture of us on Twitter. They were trying to protect us.'

Fitz blew air out of his mouth and shook his head. 'That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard. They can't just go around being little hoodlums.'

'I know but..' she bit down on her bottom lip. 'I kind of feel bad for them. She told me her mom made her dress this year and that Max had been saving up for a suit and now they cant go.'

'They should've thought about that before they stole that kid's clothes and left him in the middle of no where. There's always senior prom next year. This isn't the end of the world.'

'But it meant a lot to them.' she reasoned softly with him. 'And they were just trying to help. I know they cant go to their real prom but maybe we can do something nice for them? Just something small.'

'They're supposed to be being punished, not rewarded. You heard Mayor Holland. He was pretty serious about that.'

'The Mayor is the one who keeps filling their heads with this 'Protect Knights Ferry' stuff. They felt obligated to do it. I think they had pretty good intentions.'

'So did Robin Hood but he was still a thief.' he quickly quipped at her, trying to make her understand his point of view.

'But, stereotypically, he's celebrated as a hero. Robunhood and his Merry Men weren't popular with the upper class but everyone else loved him. Sometimes you do messed up things to help the people you care about. Right?'

Fitz sighed and ran his fingers through his sleep tousled hair. 'I suppose, Olivia.'

'Maybe we can have a little dance for them here. Their prom was supposed to be Friday night but we can play a few songs for them just to sway back and fourth to. We can call it a 'Not Prom'.' she said with a slight smile.

'Olivia…' he started, shooting her a look.

'Please?' she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled herself underneath his arm. Over the past month or so she had learned exactly what it took to get what she wanted from him. She began laying wet kisses on his neck.

'Livvie, this isn't going to work on me.' he sighed. 'I don't think this is a good idea. They need to learn their lesson and-'

'Please, Fitzy? It'll be so much fun and imagine how happy it will make Shannon and Max. They'll be over the moon.' she slowly slid her hand up to his earlobe and pulled it in between her pointer finger and thumb.

Fitz's body involuntarily shivered. Of course she had to use his weak spot against him. 'Baby, stop.'

'Will you do this for me, baby? Please?' she asked, never stopping her physical assault.

'Alright, alright, we can do it.' he sighed.

She smiled widely before laying one more kiss on his cheek. 'You're the best. I promise you wont regret doing this. It's going to make you feel so good inside.' she laid back down on her side with her back facing towards him.

Fitz squinted his eyes at her now resting form, trying to figure out what in the world just happened. He shook his head in disbelief as he realized that Olivia effectively had him wrapped around her little pinky finger. He didn't really see it as a problem, though. Making her happy was his top priority. He turned the light back off on the night stand and laid back down beside her.

* * *

 **Friday Night**

After working all day to make sure that everything was absolutely perfect, Olivia was effectively worn out. It had taken her the better part of the past week to get the barn ready for their 'Not Prom' and even though Fitz was helping, she was a bit of a perfectionist.

With her hands on her hips, she analyzed the barn space with a smile. She had strung lights all along the inside of the barn and Fitz had pulled in a few bales of hay for them to sit on top of. He had even made some food on the grill for them to eat before they started playing music. He wasn't all that excited about rewarding the kids with a 'dance', but he had to admit he was having a great time with Olivia coordinating everything.

After some convincing, Fitz put on something nice for the night. He put on a pair of khaki slacks and his white button down shirt and his brown loafers. He didn't really see why he had to dress up but she had insisted.

'You look so good tonight. I'm happy you dressed up.' she said with a smile as she took his hand. The kids hadn't arrived just yet so they had a few more minutes alone.

'You don't look so bad yourself.' he remarked, taking in her outfit. She was wearing a maroon dress that hugged her body just right and the back left most of her skin exposed to his appreciative eye. 'So are you my prom date?'

'Actually, I'm not. You never asked me and I'm hoping that the captain of the football team will ask me to dance tonight.' she flipped her hair in his direction.

'I'll kick his ass.' he playfully snarled before pulling her against his body. 'Why would you want to go out with that loser when you could have me?'

'He's going to let me wear his letterman jacket in front of the whole school.' she said, defending her decision. 'What exactly do you bring to the table, farm boy?

'He may have a letterman jacket but I have some work gloves I can let you borrow until I need them in the morning.' he said with a smirk.

Olivia's nose crinkled. 'No, thank you. I think I'll just take my chances on dancing with Chad.'

'Screw Chad.' he mumbled before gently pressing his lips against hers, moving gently due to her freshly applied lipstick.

'Excuse us?' Max said as he and Shannon entered the barn and he loudly cleared his throat. He had to admit he found it kind of funny catching two older people kissing especially since the situation was usually reversed. He couldn't count on his fingers how many times he and Shannon had been caught red handed. 'Is this the dance or a make out session?' he said, eyebrows raised.

Pulling herself away from Fitz, Olivia gave them an apologetic smile before straightening her dress out. Shannon was wearing a silver dress with embellishments while Max wore a matching suit. 'You two look absolutely fabulous. I'm glad you both could make it tonight.'

'Thanks for putting this all on for us.' Shannon said appreciatively as she took in the scenery. It wasn't the most fabulous set up but it was beautiful nonetheless. 'We cant stay for too long, though. Our parents think we're just helping Dr. Grant with a project and our curfew is at 11.'

Fitz glanced down at his phone, noting that it was now 9:30pm. 'Well, then we better get started. There's food on the table.' he said, gesturing over to the spread he had made.

After the two couples shared dinner, it was around 10:00pm. Olivia grabbed her phone and started playing a few songs for them to dance to while she and Fitz took their seats off to the side. She thought it was pretty cute to see them interact with each other.

'Max come on. Let's dance.' Shannon said, smiling widely and trying to pull Max onto the dance floor.

Max's face flushed a little red. He had never been much of a dancer and the fact that his friend's weren't there to back him up made the situation even worse. While he had planned on dancing tonight, mostly just to please Shannon, he was starting to get a bit flustered.

'Maybe later on. Don't you want to sit and relax after eating all that dinner?'

'No.' she frowned and shook her head. 'I want to dance with you.'

'I don't really want to dance, Shannon.' he mumbled and sat down on a bale of hay. They were situated on the opposite side of the barn, away from Olivia and Fitz.

'Why?' she asked, her eyebrows furrowed together.

'Because I just don't!' he snapped, tired of her asking so many questions about it. He was usually never this short with her but his nerves were getting to him tonight.

His face completely softened when he saw Shannon's eyes begin to water up. Ever since they were little, she had always been a little cry baby. If somebody were to so much raise their voice at her then the waterworks would begin. And now he felt like a complete asshole.

'Shay..' he reached to take her hand but she took a step away from where he was sitting. 'Shay, I'm sorry. Please don't cry.'

'Screw you, Max. You're being so mean tonight!' she huffed and stormed away.

Max sighed and sat back in his seat, deciding to give her some time to blow off steam. This wasn't the first time she had been upset with him and he knew she'd come around when she wanted to. He couldn't force it.

Olivia and Fitz had seen the entire situation play out in front of their eyes from the other side of the barn. She sighed and stood to her feet. 'I'm going to go check on her. Want to go talk to Max?'

'No.' he shook his head. Olivia hit him on the shoulder, causing him to wince. 'Alright, alright. I'll go and talk to him.'

'You're the best.' she smiled and kissed the top of his head before walking over to check on Shannon.

Fitz sighed and made his way over to where Max was sitting. He definitely didn't want to be involved in any teenage love drama but yet, here he was. He sat down beside the young man, his hands resting on his knees. 'Alright, what'd you do?'

'How do you know I did something?' Max asked, an eyebrow raised.

'We're guys. We're always doing something stupid.' he smirked, causing Max to laugh lightly in spite of his bad mood.

'I raised my voice at her after she asked me to dance. I'm not very good on my feet. I've got two lefties.' he said, glancing down at his shoes.

'Sometimes you have to sacrifice, Max. It's not always about what you want, but what you can do to better your relationship.'

'I guess.' he sighed. 'I hate it when she gets like this. I hate making her upset and I hate hearing her cry. What do you do to keep Miss Pope so happy all the time?'

'It's not always easy.' Fitz said with a smirk. 'But it actually makes me happy to see her happy so I do everything in my power to make sure I get to see her smile on a daily basis. When you're in a relationship then you have to focus on more than yourself.'

'I suppose.' he sighed. 'Think its too late to salvage the night?'

'Maybe not.' Fitz checked his phone for the time. 'You guys have about 30 more minutes before you need to change and head back home. What'd you have in mind?'

'I'm going to dance with my girlfriend.' he nodded his head, a bit more confident than before.

'Good man.' he grinned and roughly patted the back of Max's back.

By the time Shannon and Olivia finally came back over, it was almost time for them to leave. The whole night had mostly been a disaster but Max was determined to save the last part of it. Even if he only they had about 5 more minutes left.

'Can you take me home now?' Shannon muttered to Max as she made his way over to him, her eyes glued to the floor. Her mascara had run down her face, a result of her crying, and she was beyond annoyed at this point.

'Wait.' he stood up from his seat. 'Don't you want to dance before we leave? Just one?' he asked hopefully.

'I thought you said you didn't want to dance?' she glanced up at him, now studying his face.

'I don't really like to dance but I know its important to you. And I'm sorry.' he lightly rubbed the back of his neck. 'So can I just have this one dance?'

Shannon smiled softly then nodded her head. 'I suppose one dance wouldn't hurt.'

Max smiled and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Fitz had helped him connect to the speakers while they waited for the girls to come back and he knew he had picked out the best song for the occasion. As it began to play, he put his phone down on the table and wrapped his arms around Shannon's waist.

'I'm not that good at dancing, Shay, so don't be mad if I step on your toes.' he said apologetically.

'I wont be mad.' she shook her head and buried her face into his chest and they began to sway back and fourth.

 _This love is tainted_  
 _I need you and I hate it_

Olivia smiled as she watched the young couple reconcile on the dance floor. In all honesty, they reminded her of the relationship she and Fitz had. She peeped around the room until she found Fitz sitting down on a bale of hay.

 _You're caught between a dream and a movie scene_  
 _In a way, you know what I mean_  
 _When the darts just miss, I just can't resist it_

With a sway in her hips, she made her way over to where he was sitting and held her hand out to him. Fitz shot her a quizzical look but took her outstretched limb and stood to his feet.

'Chad never showed up to dance with me. I was wondering if you wanted to instead.' she coyly bit down on her bottom lip, waiting for the answer she knew she was going to get.

 _'Cause I'm a fool for you_  
 _And the things you do_

Fitz chuckled lightly. 'I would love to dance with you. It's all I've wanted all night.'

Olivia grinned and placed a small kiss on his lips before leading him further onto their makeshift dance floor. When they found a spot far enough away from the kids, she settled herself into his strong arms. She sighed with contentment as he wrapped himself around her body.

 _When you're looking like this_  
 _I just can't resist it_  
 _I know sometimes I hide it_  
 _But I can't this time 'cause it's gonna defeat me_  
 _But if you won't believe me_

'Do you even know this song?' Fitz asked, his lips pressed against the crown of her head.

'No.' she said with a soft giggle. 'But I like it. It's nice. This could be our song.'

'Isn't that something that old people do?'

'Well, then just call us grandma and grandpa.' she sassed at him with a smile.

 _'Cause I'm a fool for you and the things you do_  
 _I'm a fool for you and the things, the things you do_

At the end of the song, Max and Shannon said their goodbyes and made their way out of the barn, leaving Olivia and Fitz to finish the clean up. Luckily there wasn't much trash to be put away and it only took them around 15 minutes to get all the decoration down.

'Do you think we would be like Max and Shannon if we met earlier?' Olivia asked curiously as she swept some hay in the dustpan that he was holding down.

Fitz thought for a moment before answering. 'Maybe. But we'd be much better looking than them.'

Olivia laughed before softly popping the top of his head. 'I'm being serious, Fitz.'

'Alright.' he smirked and swatted her hand away. 'I think that we would be pretty similar. I think I'd probably say a lot of dumb stuff to make you mad with me but you'd always come around after I do something really nice.'

'We probably could've won prom king and queen, too.' she said matter of factly before pressing the broom against the side of the wall. She offered Fitz her hand to help him stand up.

'You're still my prom queen.' he said with a sly grin.

'I guess that makes you the prom king by default.' she said, crossing her arms.

'I like the sound of that.' he took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. 'We're royalty, baby.'

'Mostly me, though.' she teased before taking his lips.

Before long, their soft, sweet kiss turning into something a bit more passionate. Olivia became a little overwhelmed with her emotions and it didn't help that Fitz was holding her so close that she could barely come up for air.

If there was any doubt in her mind before, it had all disappeared now. She was in love with him and there was nothing she could even hope to do about it. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest as his tongue made it's entrance into her mouth and began to tease her relentlessly.

Olivia pressed both of her hands against his chest, pushing him back slightly. She needed to get this off of her chest now before it exploded.

Fitz gave her a confused look, now wondering what would make her want to pull away from their kiss. He moved his hands to her arms and rubbed them gently, trying to coax an explanation out of her.

'Fitz, I-' she stuttered, trying to come up with the right words to say. Deciding it would be best just to spit it out, she took a short but deep breath. 'Fitz, I love you.'

* * *

 ** _Alright and this is where I leave you! It's been a little while since the last update but if you follow any of my extra social media then you know I've been a little busy here in DC. Thank you all for sticking with me throughout the duration of the story!_**

 ** _In summary, Olitz survived their first fight, found a song, and Olivia has admitted that she loves him. Will Fitz say it back or does he need some more time to work his feelings out?_**

 ** _Also a common question I get in my inbox is if my username matches my Twitter name and yes it does. That's definitely me lol_**

 ** _As always PLEASE review and tell me what your favorite part is or tell me what you think is going to happen next in the story. If we get enough reviews then I'm going to try and upload a shorter chapter later on this week._**

 ** _Until next time!_**


	12. Deliriously

**NSFW**

* * *

'Fitz, I love you.' she said a lot softer than she intended. It probably sounded more like a mumble than a declaration to his ears. She felt like she had peanut butter gluing her mouth shut as she tried to get her words out.

It was no doubt in her mind that she was madly, truly, and wholeheartedly in love but saying it out loud was a whole other uphill battle. She never had to let her emotions show to anybody she had been in a relationship with and she felt like she was riding upside down on a roller coaster. A part of her was terrified that he would either reject her feelings or admit he wasn't feeling the same way.

'Livvie, what?' Fitz said, straining to make sure he heard her correctly. He leaned in a little closer to her. She had barely opened her mouth but he was almost positive he heard exactly what she had said. He could've sworn she said 'I love you' but he couldn't be sure.

He wasn't expecting her to say it so soon and he really wasn't expecting her to say it first. While he couldn't help the countless nights he spent up thinking about how much he loved her, it was a whole different situation for them to say it to one another. He had never had a moment where he just at a loss for words but here he was. Fitz was quietly studying her, lips pressed together in a tight line.

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip and searched his face for some sign of emotions to her admission. _Of course he didn't hear me. I barely opened my mouth_.

She was really hoping he would've picked up on what she said because she really didn't want to have to repeat herself. She could barely get her mouth to open so speaking again really wasn't an option. The usual calm, cool, and confident Olivia C. Pope was now nearly shaking in her heels as she waited for him to just say anything at this point. The silence was absolutely killing her.

 _This is it. This is where I die. Anticipation killed me._

As irrational as it seemed, she was kind of glad he hadn't heard what she said. Maybe it was for the best that she waited a little while longer to admit it. Men had professed their feelings to her before but that's usually when she ran in the other direction. Now, the tables we're turned and she was terrified. She never imagined a moment where being with Fitz would be hard but this was killing her.

To her, it felt like they had been standing there staring at each other for hours. With her cheeks flustered, Olivia took a step away from him. It was small but she needed that space. _Well, now I'm embarrassed._

Feeling like she needed to salvage the moment, she quickly thought of a lie. 'I said um, Fitz I love your shoes.' she took another step away then clasped her hands together and nodded her head towards his brown loafers. 'Your shoes look great tonight and I love them.'

'Livvie.' he mumbled and outstretched his arm to touch her but she was just out of reach. In the short time they had been together, he had learned a lot about his girlfriend. He knew that one of her nervous habits was to separate herself and run but he never let her get away. At least not for long. There was never a reason for her to run from their issues. They needed to stand together and face them.

'Hey, are you ready to go back to the house? There's so much I have to do. I need to clean up and write and we should probably call and make sure the kids made it home alright and—' she continued to ramble on, another nervous habit of hers, before turning her back to Fitz and walking towards the ATV he had parked outside.

Fitz watched her walk away, baffled. It amazed him how quickly she had managed change the subject around. Did I hear her correctly? Maybe she didn't mean it. Maybe she just said it by mistake. Maybe she really did just like his shoes. Why was she so nervous?

He was a bit unsure of what his next move should be. He didn't want to overwhelm her as she seemed pretty high strung already but he really felt like they needed to talk. Fitz watched on as Olivia sat down on the seat of the ATV, leaving enough room for him to get on to drive.

'Liv, you know you can tell me anything. You don't have to be afraid to tell me things.' he said reassuringly. It was pretty dark outside but the moon provided enough light for him to look her directly in the eyes.

'Fitz, I know.' she nodded her head sheepishly before turning her attention down to her hands that were resting palm down on the seat in front of her. It was hard for her to look him in the eyes when he got like this. He had the ability to look at her and through her at the same time and she wasn't ready for that tonight. She widened her legs a bit more to make sure that he had enough room.

He sighed before sitting down on the seat in front of her and turning the vehicle on. As much as he wanted to bring the topic back up, he felt like the best plan would be to let her say it again on her own.

Olivia wrapped her arms around Fitz's waist, a bit lighter than usual, and he started to drive back towards the house through the darkness. They hadn't discussed her staying the night that night but he was really hoping that she would.

As they pulled up to the house, he parked the ATV beside the porch and turned it off. Olivia immediately hopped off and kissed his cheek. 'I'll see you later, ok?'

'Wait, you're leaving? Why are you leaving?' he asked, an eyebrow now cocked. 'Livvie, it's getting late.' he took her hand then tilted his neck upward, gesturing towards the sky. 'Why don't you just stay the night here? We can just lay in bed or I could make us some ice cream and we can watch the stars and **talk**.' he said, putting emphasis on the last word.

 _Of course he chooses right now to be Mr. Perfect._

'I can't.' she shook her head. 'I have so much to do. I don't think I've done laundry in like 2 weeks.' she laughed a little nervously, trying to bring the attention off the awkwardness of the situation.

'Do that stuff later. Stay here with me.' he pulled her body back towards him and gave her a hopeful smile.

'If I stay the night here you're not going to let me leave tomorrow. You're going to hold me hostage all weekend long.' she said half teasingly.

Fitz shook his head and stood up from his ATV. He was determined to get to the root of whatever her problem was before he let her go. Before she could take another step away from him, he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her flush against his body. Olivia let out a small yelp as his lips crushed against hers.

'Talk to me.' he mumbled softly, moving from her lips down to her jawline. 'Tell me what you're thinking.'

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was hard enough saying that she loved him but he wasn't making it any easier. 'I.. I can't. I cant think straight when you do that.'

With a smile, he stopped his assault on her neck. After taking a small step away to give her some space, Fitz took both of her hands in his. 'No secrets, remember? We talk to each other.'

'I know.' she looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with him. Her heels were sinking in the grass but they were the last thing on her mind. 'Can't we just talk about it later?'

'Let's talk now.' he pressed softly. Normally he would take out the time to go and park his ATV in the shed but that could wait for now. With a firm grasp of her hands, Fitz led her up the stairs of the porch and into the front door.

At this point, Olivia was basically gnawing at her bottom lip. She knew there was no getting out of this now that she was back in the house. After taking off her shoes and placing them by the door, she sat beside him on the couch.

Fitz reached out to her and took one of her hands. He smiled warmly at her. 'Livvie,' he coaxed. 'Talk to me. Please.'

'This is hard.' she huffed petulantly.

He chuckled softly. 'What can I do to make it easier?'

'Nothing.' she shook her head. 'I just.. I just need to say it.'

At this point, Fitz was positive of what she was trying to tell him. Deciding to help her out, he pulled her closer to him so that their bodies were next to each other. He pressed his forehead against hers and opened his mouth. 'Olivia—'

'Fitz, I love you!' she blurted out suddenly before he could finish his sentence. Her face grew warm and she was immediately flustered. As afraid as she was to say it, it felt so much better now that it was out in the air instead of stuck in her chest.

Fitz's eyes immediately softened. He could tell it took a lot for her to finally come out and say it but he was proud of her. He didn't know all the details of her family and upbringing but he had a feeling that they were partially to blame for her inability to completely open up to him. Sure, they had made some progress but there were still some parts of herself that she kept locked away.

'Say something.' she mumbled, unable to pull herself out of his grasp.

'I love you, too. I love you a lot more than what you think.' he said, punctuating his confession with a firm kiss to her lips.

A tear pricked up in the corner of Olivia's eye but she blinked a few times to ward it away. She felt like the weight of the whole entire world had been lifted off her shoulders and now here was in the arms of the man she loved and who loved her right back.

'Even more than Gerty?' she asked with a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Fitz laughed and shifted his weight backwards so that he could lay back on the couch with her on top of him. 'Yes, even more than my award winning cow.'

'Good answer, Grant.' she smiled down at him before taking his lips.

Immediately, he traced the outline of her lips, asking permission to enter. Olivia readily granted him the access he sought and parted her lips for him. She wrapped her around his neck, holding him as close as she could.

Fitz sucked in her soft moans as he teased her tongue. He didn't think he'd ever tire of hearing those noises from her and it was an indescribable feeling knowing that it was only him who got the pleasure of listening to them. His hands slowly crept downwards, passing the small of her back and going straight towards her bottom. It had easily become one of his favorite things to put his hands on.

Olivia inhaled sharply as he squeezed down on her behind a little harder than usual. She let out an appreciative moan while he kneaded her plump backside. Fitz could feel himself growing inside of his khaki pants and he shifted slightly. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be or if she was ready and he didn't want her to feel forced. As much as he wanted to be buried deep inside of her, it would only be when she was ready for it.

Catching onto his bottom lip once more, Olivia ground her hips down into his crotch. She could tell he was trying to get his erection off of her but just knowing that he was getting hard from their heated make out session turned her on.

'Liv..' he breathed out as she continued to work her hips over his length.

'Shush.' she said against his lips. Olivia sat up so that she could straddle his thighs and looked down on him for a moment. He had dark purple lipstick all over his lips and cheeks and neck and it would've been comical if she wasn't eager to finish what they started.

Fitz watched her quizzically, wondering why she suddenly sat up. His eyes widened when she hiked her dress up, revealing a black thong underneath. He swallowed a hard lump before bringing his hands up to explore the now bare skin of her upper thighs and hips.

Olivia smiled coyly down at him before biting on her bottom lip. Fitz was trying to keep it slow and take his time but she was craving him. She started grinding her hips against his erection once more, leaving a small wet spot on his light colored pants. She was going to be dripping down her thighs soon.

'Tell me what you want.' she said, running her fingers down his chest and heading towards the belt buckle looped into his pants.

Using his core strength, Fitz sat straight up on the couch and wrapped his arms around her waist. 'You. I want you.'

Before she could respond again, he had his lips back on hers and his hands went back down to explore the now exposed skin of her butt. Using his grip on her body, he slowed down the pace she had set while she concentrated on getting his pants open.

Olivia felt little butterflies come alive in her stomach as she unzipped his pants and reached into the open hole to find his length. As much as she wanted this with Fitz, she was still a little nervous. She had been with other men before but she never shared as strong of a connection with him. She wanted everything about their first time to be perfect.

She purred softly when she found his waiting erection twitching in his boxers and she pulled him out of his pants. Olivia couldn't help but lightly lick her lips when she saw exactly what he was working with. She had managed to get a sneak peak of his length one day while he was in a pair of grey sweatpants but the imprint gave him no justice.

'These have to go.' Fitz huffed as he hooked his pointer finger in the strap of her thong that had gotten wedged in between her butt cheeks.

'They're yours. Take them off me.' she whispered to him before taking a nip at his earlobe.

Fitz couldn't help the little triumphant smirk that took over his mouth. Without another word, he tugged at the flimsy fabric until it ripped off her body. The grin on his face almost made her want to laugh. She found it cute that he got so excited over something as trivial as her panties.

Olivia slowly started working both of her hands up and down his shaft, massaging him with a firm grip. Fitz grunted as his hips thrusted upwards into her palms. He had been fantasizing for weeks about how her soft, delicate fingers would feel wrapped around his dick and he could barely contain himself now that it was actually happening.

'You are so fucking big. How am I going to take all of you in?' she mumbled, stroking his ego. She could feel his precum starting to drip down his penis and she slowed her hands down. She wanted him to be deep inside of her when he finally found his release.

If he didn't want her before, he definitely did now. Fitz took hold of both of her hands and placed them firmly on his shoulders. 'Keep them there.' he commanded.

Olivia nodded her head and gripped down on his body. With one hand at the base of his cock and one on her hips, he brought her body forward so that he could press himself into her waiting heat. He looked between them, watching as her juices began to run down his shaft and to his balls.

'Fitz.' she moaned out as he relentlessly teased them. The grip she had on his shoulders tightened and her eyes fell shut. She let out a small yelp when the tip of his penis pressed firmly into her clit.

Percy, who had been sound asleep in the kitchen, heard Olivia make a noise and immediately sprang into action. They could hear him start running into the living room but they both prayed that he would just leave them alone. They were in their own little world and definitely didn't want to be pulled out of it.

'Ouch!' Fitz jerked as Percy bit down hard on his ankle after jumping up on the couch. 'You little cock block.'

Olivia chuckled and shook her head before standing up from the couch. She adjusted the bottom half of her dress that had been completely pushed up then straightened it out. Fitz couldn't help but pout as he watched her pick Percy up and coddle him. He's really trying to steal her away.

Assuming that the moment was over, he sighed and tucked himself back away in his pants. That dog was going to be the death of him. Fitz sat up straight on the couch and ran his fingers through his tousled hair in an attempt to settle himself down.

Percy licked at Olivia's hands while she walked his towards his cage in the corner of the room. She had been waiting way too long for this moment for it to be ruined. She was going to have all of Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III tonight no matter how much Percy whined and pleaded. After shutting the door to the cage, she walked back over to where Fitz was sitting with his eyes closed.

She couldn't help but smirk at the disappointed look on his face. Olivia tapped down on his shoulder, grabbing his attention. When his eyes opened, she had her hand outstretched towards him.

'Take me to bed.' she requested, her head slightly cocked to one side.

Fitz's face lit up entirely as he took her hand to stand up. He kneeled down and picked her up by her hips and threw her over his shoulder with a grin. Olivia squealed and laughed and kicked her legs.

'Fitz, I can walk!' she smacked his back a few times.

'This way is faster. And you're going to get a spanking if you don't stop hitting me, little woman.' he said, trying to sound stern. He made a face at Percy as he walked them past his cage and headed up the stairs.

Olivia smirked but decided not to continue. She wanted him to jump on her as soon as they got in the bedroom so a spanking would have to be a venture for another day. 'Sorry. I'll play nice.'

It didn't take much effort for Fitz to nudge his bedroom door open with his foot and get the light on in the bedroom. He put her down on her feet and turned her around so that her back was towards him. Olivia had a tendency to wear over complicated clothes and he had never seen her undress before so he struggled to find the zipper.

She smirked and raised her left arm, revealing the silver piece of metal going down the seam of the dress.

'Dresses are weird.' he huffed before grabbing the zipper then sliding it down to her hip. After helping her step out of her dress, he took a slight step back to appreciate her body. He remembered her saying that she had 3 tattoos and he noticed one of her right thigh, one right below her bra line, and the third on the left side of her waist.

'Take it off.' Fitz said lowly as he began to unbutton his shirt, starting at the top. They watched each other, not breaking eye contact, as Olivia got her bra off and Fitz pushed his khakis and boxers down his hips. Once her bra hit the floor, Fitz took in the sight of her perked nipples, both pierced and accessorized with golden barbells. His erection sprang free once more and she immediately took a step towards him, reaching for his length.

Fitz took hold of both of her hands before she could reach him and he walked them towards the bed. When the back of her knees pressed against the mattress, he pushed her back so that she was laying down. He hovered above her, careful not to press his weight down, and held both of her hands above her head.

'Keep those there.' he commanded, laying kisses on her collarbone. His hands moved downward to explore other areas of her body. 'Do you trust me?'

'Yes.' she nodded her head. His lips began to travel through the valley between her breasts and she arched her back, offering her breasts to him.

'I don't think you do.' he kissed up the side of her left breast and used his free hand to tweak her right nipple. He carefully pinched and applied pressure to the already hardened nub. He wasn't exactly sure how sensitive her piercings were so he wanted to be careful.

'I do. I do.' she objected through baited breath.

'You like to run and hide from me, Livvie.' he said as he moved his lips over to her left nipple, sucking it into his mouth and flicking his tongue over it. 'No more running.'

'I wont do it again.' she brought one of her hands down to his head and her fingers clutched at the hair on his scalp.

Fitz pushed her hands back above her head and began kissing his way down her body once more. 'Hands up.'

Olivia whimpered and laid her head back and shut her eyes. 'I want you inside of me.'

'Soon. Trust me.' he reassured. He wanted to taste her first. She was dripping wet and he knew there was no way he'd be able to keep his mouth off of her. Fitz kneeled and grabbed her by her ankles and pulled her body to the edge of the bed so that her thighs dangled off.

'You are so beautiful.' he looked down in adoration of her form, licking his lips. Olivia shifted under his gaze. She had never been ashamed of her figure but the way Fitz was staring at her made her a little self conscious. He ignored his almost painfully stiff erection pressing against the cotton of his comforter set as more precum dripped out of his tip.

Olivia blushed slightly as he made his intentions clear. She slightly shut her hips, denying him access to what he had been craving. 'You don't have to.' she shook her head and tried pulling him up. Most of the men she had been with in the past never ventured that low with their mouths and when they did they always made it seem like it was a chore. She didn't want him to feel obligated to do it.

'Open your legs, Olivia.' he resisted her attempts and swatted her hand away. He grabbed her by the backs of her knees and parted her legs once more, despite her protests.

Olivia sat up on her elbows to look at him and shook her head again. He could tell she was a little nervous. 'Come here.'

'Trust me, Olivia.' he pleaded softly. 'Open up, for me.'

She sighed and started to part her legs slowly and Fitz smiled. Starting at the inside of her knee, he kissed and licked his way up to her centre. Olivia's breath hitched and she laid back on the bed, now looking directly up at the ceiling. She wasn't expecting this but was now glad she had shaved a couple nights ago.

Using his hands, he pushed both her legs further apart and her whole body tensed up. With a slow flick of his tongue, Fitz parted her lower lips. His breath hitched as he got a view of her glistening sex.

 _Mine. All mine._

He kissed around her folds, licking up any of her essence that threatened to drip away. He didn't want to waste a single drop. Olivia hadn't noticed it yet but she was holding her breath in anticipation of his next move, her body still rigid from nervousness.

Fitz took one of her hands and intertwined their fingers together before kissing his way to her clit, causing her body to jerk. He started off slow, letting her get used to the sensation of his mouth on her. As her body began to relax, the grip she had on his fingers started to slip away until she finally let go. Her soft moans filled the air around the room.

Ever aware of her body language, his tongue started moving faster and he teased her entrance with his pointer finger. Olivia gripped the sheets underneath them in an attempt to keep herself sane.

'Look at me, Olivia.' he mumbled against her sex. She grunted in protest but sat herself up on her elbows, afraid he'd stop if she didn't comply. Olivia's body shivered when they made eye contact. His usually steel blue eyes had turned a foggy gray and it seemed as if he was peering right into her soul. 'I want you to watch me.'

After a few light kisses, Fitz finally sucked her clit into his mouth and slid two fingers inside of her. Olivia felt like she might skyrocket off the bed right then and there. Her fingers found their way to his head and she started pulling at his hair. She didn't know whether to pull him closer or beg him to stop as she neared what she knew was going to be the most explosive orgasm she's ever had.

As she began to writhe underneath him, Fitz put his free hand on top of her stomach to try and settle her down. Her walls began to clamp down on his fingers and suck them in so he knew she was getting closer. With a few more curls of his finger, Olivia's taut stomach began to tremble as her orgasm rush over her. Fitz held her body in a state of torture as he continued to flick his tongue against her clit.

'Fitz.' she exhaled loudly, trying to inch away from him.

Fitz slid his fingers out of her and held onto her thighs, locking her in place as he planned on taking her over the edge again. Before she could fully recover from her first orgasm, her second one of the night overcame her and she started screaming his name. He slid his way up her trembling body and kissed her softly.

'Do you need a break?' he mumbled against her lips, now supporting himself on his elbows as he hovered over her body. Before she could answer, he pressed his strained erection against the juncture between her legs.

'No.' she shook her head, her body trembling with anticipation.

'Are you sure?' he asked teasingly as he used one of his hands to guide himself to her entrance. He rubbed the tip of his cock up and down her slit a few times before finally settling at her entrance.

Without another word, she reached down and grabbed his ass, forcing him to push the tip of his length inside of her. Fitz grunted before thrusting the rest of his throbbing cock inside her slick portal. Her jaw dropped and her eyebrows furrowed as she adjusted to his size but then she released a satisfied purr as he reached his hilt inside of her. His thrusts were forced to start off slow as her walls held onto him as he moved in and out.

'You are so perfect.' he groaned out, his head dropping to her shoulder as he peppered kisses on her exposed skin.

Olivia could barely get her words out as she clung to his body. He fit her so perfectly. It was as if they were made especially for each other. She bit down on the sensitive part of his ear and he let out a satisfied grunt. Wrapping her legs around his waist, only one thing ran through her mind.

 _Mine. All mine._

'Fuck.. Fitz.' she moaned lowly into his ear. 'Fuck me harder.' she requested, as she began clawing at his back. He was hitting all the right spots and she knew she'd be leaving marks on his skin but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

'Harder, baby?' he asked teasingly as she clung tightly to his body. His hips began thrashing into her, the sounds of their skin smacking against one another's filled the air.

'Just like that. Don't stop.' she begged, her body slightly trembling underneath him. He continued to hammer mercilessly into her until she finally orgasmed, causing her to scream his name. Her outburst nearly brought him over the edge and as much as it pained him, he knew he needed to pull out. They hadn't discussed any form of protection and he really didn't want to risk it.

Olivia laid back on her back with her eyes shut as her body came down from its high. It only took a few strokes from his hand that had Fitz squirting his cum onto her stomach. He groaned loudly as he finished then rolled over beside her to lay on his stomach.

Realizing that they had made a mess, Fitz huffed loudly and rolled out of bed. 'Don't move.' he breathed, still trying to catch his breath. He made his way to the bathroom and she could hear him running some water in the sink.

Olivia laid on her back with a huge grin on her face. Her arms were stretched out on the bed and her legs were already stiffening. She was absolutely positive that she'd be sore in the morning but she loved it. There was nothing covering her naked body except a thin film of sweat, one of Fitz's love bites on her breasts, and the obvious signs of his orgasm on her belly.

She craned her neck upward as she heard his feet padding back towards the bedroom. Her smile grew as she watched her big, strong man approach the bed and crawl in on his knees with a warm towel in his hands. He moved his way in between her spread thighs and gently wiped her skin clean.

Fitz looked down in complete admiration of her perfect cocoa colored skin. He had never seen a woman so beautiful in his life and he could almost feel himself hardening again. After wiping her clean, he threw the towel to the side to be picked up later. For now, he had other things on his mind.

Slowly, he ran his calloused fingers up her soft body. He started off at her curved hips then moved up to her waist, his rough digits running over the tattoos on her skin. 'You are so fucking beautiful.' he said loud enough for her to hear him but soft enough to avoid tearing them out of their moment.

After managing to gather up strength in her arms, she reached and took both of his hands in hers. She pulled them up her body and to her mouth, kissing both of his large palms. The same that had been curiously exploring all over her body, from head to thigh, just a few minutes ago. He seemed to know exactly how and where to touch and kiss and pinch and pull her to make her body go wild.

It had been a while since Olivia felt this way. Fitz had always made sure that she felt safe and taken care of but this was new. They had reached a whole new plateau of their relationship and it was the best feeling in the world. She could still feel Fitz's large member pulsing inside of her, stretching her out in the most delicious of ways. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but he had exceeded it by 1000%.

She was almost too afraid to speak. Anymore words shared between them threatened to rip a hole into the intimate bubble that they were in. She opened her mouth to say something but her bottom lip quivered and she shut it.

Fitz smiled before moving to lay down next to her. She had managed to scratch up his back so it stung a bit as his skin touched against the cotton sheets of his bed. Olivia immediately attached herself to his side, making herself comfortable as she laid her head on his shoulder. He placed a small kiss on the crown of her head and she looked up at him, her lips still curled into the radiant smile that he loved so much.

'Hi.' she mumbled softly into the air after almost a half hour. She hadn't meant to go quiet on him but she had gotten caught up in her thoughts.

'Hi.' he said back before letting out a soft yawn and securely wrapping his arm around her, his hand resting on her hip.

'Are you sleepy already, old man?' she gingerly teased. 'How are you going to keep up with your pretty, young girlfriend?'

'I think I can keep up with my pretty, young girlfriend just fine. She wasn't complaining a few minutes ago.' he chuckled softly.

'Just because I didn't want to hurt your feelings.' she said in a mock sympathetic voice.

'Hey, hey.' he chastised with a tight pinch to her behind. 'Be nice, little woman.'

Olivia let out a squeak, her body jerking at her punishment. She rolled over so that she could sit on top of him, now straddling his strong thighs. She was wearing a huge grin on her face and was letting out a few breathless giggles.

'What are you so smiley about?' he simpered, amused by the goofy side she was showing him. It wasn't unusual to see her laughing or smiling but it was different today. She was still coming down from her high and her post orgasmic glow was beautiful. He rested both of his hands on top of her soft thighs.

'Because we love each other.' she said in a sing song voice before bracing herself on his chest, her fingers lightly scratching the hair near his nipples.

'Mmm.' he hummed. 'We do. Come here, pretty girl.' he wrapped his arms around her as Olivia settled on top of him, using his chest as her pillow. Her tousled hair splayed out over his body as she buried her face in between his pecks.

Fitz smiled and carefully reached over to the nightstand and turned the lamp off, leaving them in darkness. He needed to be up in a few hours so he definitely needed to get some rest but he waited until he could hear her faintly snoring before laying his head back and shutting his eyes.

* * *

 **One Week Later**

Fitz's eyes burned as he rolled over and glanced at the clock. It read 2am which was too early for somebody to be calling his cellphone. He reached over on the nightstand to silence it then glanced over at Olivia to make sure it hadn't woken her up. Much to his pleasure, she was still sound asleep with her bare back facing towards him. They had been sleeping skin to skin and it was a delightful sight to see her behind poking from under the covers.

He smiled softly before moving behind her, pulling her body towards him. She had slept over every night for the past week and Fitz felt like he was in heaven. They hadn't heard anything from Jake and he was finally feeling more comfortable with her walking around town by herself. Their life was finally starting to get on the right track.

Fitz placed a small kiss on her cheekbone but was careful not to wake her up. Not only did he enjoy just watching her peacefully rest, he knew she'd be cranky if he got her up this early. He was just about to shut his eyes when he heard his phone ringing again.

With an annoyed grunt, he rolled over and picked his cellphone up. 'What?' he hissed lowly, still careful of the sleeping grizzly bear beside him.

'Well, hello to you too, Fitzgerald.' Tiffany said with a pout. 'That's no way to answer your little sister.'

'Tiffany it's 2am. What do you want?' he asked, rolling his eyes.

'I simply called to ask you what you wanted me to send you for your birthday next week. No need to have a hissy fit.'

'Tiff I don't have time for your games.' he sighed. 'I have to be up soon to get some work done so just come right out with it.'

'Fine.' Tiffany spat out. 'Can I talk to Olivia?'

'What? No!' his eyebrows furrowed. 'Olivia's sleeping. Why do you need to talk to her so badly?'

'I need to ask her a question!' she whined loudly.

'Tiff.' he ran his fingers through his hair. 'Olivia is my girlfriend now. I know she was your favorite celebrity but you can't treat her like some random tabloid star. She's a regular person just like us who needs sleep.' he explained sternly while gently rubbing Olivia's back.

'I wouldn't try and talk to some random celebrity at 2am. Just Olivia.' she protested. 'I just wanted to congratulate her on her nomination and ask her a question. The nominations for the Book Keeper Awards leaked a few minutes ago and Limitation is up in 3 different categories.'

Fitz's face lit up at the news. 'Seriously? Are you sure?'

'I'm positive! I was on the voting committee for Christ's sake!' she said defensively. 'Best Romance, Best SciFi, and Book of The Year!'

'Oh my God. That's great news! I don't think Olivia knows. She hasn't said anything to me and I know she'd be over the moon to hear about it.' Fitz glanced over at her. She was still sound asleep. 'I'll call you back later, Tiff. I'm going to wake her up.'

'Wait, Fitz! I want to tell her!' she said but the line disconnected. She crossed her arms and pouted before flopping down in her bed. She truly had the worst big brother in the world.

With a huge grin on his face, Fitz turned back to Olivia and gently rolled her over on her back. He hovered over her body and lightly shook her shoulders, trying to wake her up. He knew she'd probably be extremely irritable but that didn't matter to him right then.

Olivia's eyelids fluttered slightly as she began to wake but she kept them closed. She cleared her throat and took hold of his hands so he would stop shaking her. 'Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, this better be extremely important. The house needs to be on fire.'

'No. Something even better than that!' he said, obviously a lot more excited than her. 'Open your eyes!'

She sighed but smiled and allowed her eyes to open. He was obviously very happy about whatever was going on so she decided to entertain him. Olivia glanced over at the clock before turning her head back to him 'Please tell me what has you so pumped up at 2:07am.' she ran her fingers up and down his large biceps.

'Tiffany just called and said your book got nominated for 3 different awards!' he immediately went down towards her lips.

Olivia chuckled but accepted his congratulatory kiss. 'You silly man. I already knew that. They told me 2 days ago.'

'Why didn't you say anything? This is great news!' he asked, propping himself up on his elbows above her.

'Awards are nice but they're not that big of a deal to me.' she shrugged her shoulders. 'My writing makes me and my readers happy. I've never been in it for the recognition.'

'Well, I am extremely excited and extremely proud of you.' he laid a kiss on the tip of her nose. 'It's going to be so much fun to say "My girlfriend, author of a New York Bestseller and Book of the Year Recipient."'

'Sweetheart,' she laughed softly and shook her head, trying to match his enthusiasm. 'My other books were already on the New York Bestseller's list before I met you and definitely before I was your girlfriend.'

'Shush, woman. Let me have my moment.' he placed another kiss on her lips before traveling down her jawline. Even if she wasn't excited, Fitz was on a whole new level. He was exceedingly proud of her but expected nothing less. He had read the books himself and knew that they were all winners. He personally couldn't wait to brag about her to all of his friends and family. They were still trying to keep their relationship low key but he couldn't care less at that point. He wanted everybody to know.

Olivia squealed loudly and swatted his back when he reached a spot on her neck that he knew was particularly ticklish. 'Stop, Fitz! Go back to sleep!'

'How can you sleep at a time like this?' he asked before rolling them over so that she could lay on top of him. 'We have to celebrate! I'm going to tell the whole town!' he declared laying kisses on the crown of her head.

'In the morning, Fitz.' she said, fighting back her giggles as she buried her face into his chest.

'It is the morning! It's almost 3am which means that it's at least 8am somewhere in the world.' he reasoned although Olivia didn't see much logic behind it.

'The morning doesn't start until I wake up.' she said, her voice full of finality.

Usually getting a few awards never excited Olivia but Fitz was making it sound better and better. Out of all of her past relationships, nobody ever got this excited about one of her accomplishments. She had never been with anybody so eager to show her off but _this_ was refreshing. Fitz never failed to make the butterflies start fluttering in her stomach.

He really was her biggest fan.

'You make me so happy.' she said, laying wet kisses on his chest. 'Even when you wake me up at an ungodly hour.'

'Hmm.. How happy?' he asked as he started to rub small circles on her back. He'd let her rest for now but tomorrow he wanted to formally congratulate her.

'Deliriously.' she said with a yawn as she let her eyes shut again.

* * *

Mellie stomped her way into the sheriff's office around 12 that afternoon, still in her work clothes from the bar. Her apron was covered in grease and condiments and her hair was thrown into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She wouldn't be able to stay long but she really needed to speak her peace.

Jake had been actively avoiding her for the past few weeks. He was ignoring her phone calls and texts and he definitely hadn't been back by the bar in weeks. He was crazy if he thought that she would let him leave her high and dry at this point.

She slammed the door behind her, nearly shaking the entire building down when she did. 'Sheriff Ballard!' she screamed as she made her way further through the jail.

Jake had been quietly sitting behind the front desk but when he realized how angry she looked he decided to make himself scarce. He stood to his feet and hustled towards one of the cells near the back. It wasn't unlike Mellie to be a little violent when she was angry and he really didn't want to be her punching bag today.

By the time she made it to where he was, Jake had already locked himself in one of the cells. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the locks clink as he shut the door. He sat down on the bed to catch his breath.

'Get out here and face me like a man, Jake!' she yelled, trying to reach him through the rusty bars.

'Absolutely not.' his head shook. 'What do you want?'

'I want to know why you've been avoiding me!' she threw her hands up in the air. 'We were supposed to be a team!'

'Mellie, I cant do this anymore.' he sighed. 'Olivia doesn't want me. It's obvious. The last time I tried to see her I scared her half to death.'

'So what about me, Jake!? It's your fault they're together in the first place! You need to help me!'

'I don't want her to hate me! If we keep trying to make them break up then they're going to hate us! Don't you get that?' he explained desperately.

Mellie's eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms across her chest. If yelling wouldn't work then she'd have to push his buttons. 'So you mean to tell me that you can just sit here idly while she lays in Fitz's arms? While he holds her and kisses her and they lay in his bed together for hours and hours?'

Jake looked down to his boots. He had been actively avoiding having that image in his head. Even thinking about that hurt. 'He makes her happy, Mellie. They make each other happy.'

'No, they don't. We can make them happy. We're what they need.' she said convincingly. 'Don't you remember seeing her smile when you guys first met? Don't you want to see that again?'

'Of course.' he said, now thinking over Mellie's offer. 'I.. I don't know about this, Mel.'

'Just trust me.' she held her arm back through the bars of the cell, offering her hand. 'Let's be a team again, Jake. We can do this.'

Jake bit down on his bottom lip but then nodded his head. He stood up from the bed then walked over to her before taking her hand and shaking it. 'I guess I'm in.'

'Good man.' she smiled and nodded her head. 'I have to get back to the bar. I'm going to call you tonight so I need you to answer.'

'Sure thing.' he hesitantly nodded his head before watching her walk out of the building.

Mellie got into her car with a triumphant smile on her face. She already had a plan that even Jake couldn't mess up. Fitzgerald Grant was going to be hers.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Soooo ya. That's Chapter 10. It's kinda short compared to the last two chapters but I needed to get this in there without making the next chapter too long. Next time we'll see what exactly Mellie has up her sleeve and also celebrate Fitz's birthday._**

 ** _Jake doesn't seem to like the idea of messing with Fitz and Olivia anymore. Maybe he's almost ready to give that up. Also, we'll be seeing more of Tiffany soon. To answer a question I got a few chapters ago (but forgot to answer), Tiffany is 25._**

 ** _Also, thank you all for the encouraging 'nudges' to update through PM's and Twitter. I wont name any names but you all know who you are. We're almost at 300 reviews which is exciting so thank you all for that. I couldn't have made it this far without you. As usual, tell me what you think. Until next time!_**


	13. Birthday Boy

**NSFW**

* * *

'I cant believe you're leaving me.' Fitz grumbled with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching her pin her hair up into a messy bun. She was standing in front of the full length mirror connected to the door of the closet. 'You're being completely unfair.'

'Are you sure that you're turning 33 tomorrow?' she asked as she glanced at him through the mirror with her eyebrow quirked. 'Because you're definitely whining like you're turning 3.' she teased.

'How can you just up and go, though? It's my birthday, ya know.' he said matter of factly. He had been playing the 'Its my birthday' card for the whole week in an attempt to get what he wanted. Olivia refused to give in but she did find it cute.

Olivia laughed as she finished with her hair then turned to face him. She walked over to where he was sitting and stood in between his parted thighs. 'Your birthday isn't until tomorrow and I'll be back tonight.' she assured, running her fingers through his wet hair.

'Hmm.' he hummed and shut his eyes as her fingernails scraped gently across his scalp. He had just gotten out of the shower after finishing some of his midday chores and had changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. He was looking forward to laying in bed next to her but she obviously had something else in mind.

She smiled and watched his face relax as she massaged the crown of his head. She used her free hand to cup the side of his face, her thumb caressing the stubble on his cheeks. He usually shaved on Sundays before church but he had been letting it grow out since she liked it so much. 'What ever would you do without me?'

'I have no clue; which is why I don't want you to leave.' he said as he leaned his cheek into her palm and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Fitz usually wasn't a clingy person but there was something in Olivia that brought it out of him. Maybe it was because they were still at the 'honeymoon' phase of their relationship and they just couldn't get enough of each other but it probably had more to do with the fact that he had been alone for so long.

He loved living on his farm and being with his animals and working on his research but for years he was all by himself. He had a few friends in town and there were always interesting characters at the bar but none of that compared to having Olivia with him. Fitz hadn't realized how much he needed somebody until she came along and now it was hard to let go. Even if it was just for a few hours.

Olivia seemed happy with just being able to be around with him for the past few weeks but he also didn't want to suffocate her. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally push her away. He laid a few soft kisses across her abdomen then tilted his neck upward so he could look her in the eyes.

'So you'll be back tonight?'

She smiled and nodded her head. 'I just need to get some work done and respond to some emails and I have a gift to wrap up for somebody.'

'You didn't have to get me anything.' he said seriously. They had been having this discussion for days although it seemed as if Olivia hadn't heard him at all. In one ear and out the other as he would say. 'You're more than enough.'

'I never said that the gift was for you.' Olivia just smirked and rolled her eyes. She leaned forward and pecked his lips softly. 'I'll see you tonight. Go have fun at the bar with your friends. It's your last night being 32 so make it count.'

She stepped out of his grasp and grabbed her purse off of the floor near the closet door. 'Love you.' she called out as she started heading down the hall and towards the stairs. Just saying the words made all of her nerves go crazy. Two weeks ago she could barely say it but now they were saying it on a daily basis.

'Love you too.' he called back, watching her leave. 'And take that rat with you when you go.' he teased with a chuckle.

'Fuck you, Fitzgerald.' she yelled back from downstairs. Before he could respond again, he heard the front door shut. Fitz reached down into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled his cellphone out to send her a text.

 **Oh, you will. All night long if I have anything to say about it.** \- Fitz

Olivia unlocked her car door and got inside. She quickly pressed the button to start the vehicle and turned the air on. It was over 100 degrees outside and her leather upholstery was nearly burning the back of her thighs. She pulled her phone out when she received his text and blushed as she read it.

 **You're the birthday boy. You can get whatever you want.** \- Olivia

Fitz couldn't help the shit eating grin that formed on his face as he read her response. He crawled his way further into bed and decided that he would take a nap before going to the bar later on that afternoon. He hadn't been in the last week or so and catching up with his old buddies would be nice.

Olivia put her phone down as she drove through the gates of the ranch. Fitz had been saying that he really didn't want to do anything for his birthday but she wanted to make it special for him. He had managed to make every part of her being in Knights Ferry nearly perfect so it would've been an injustice to just treat it like just another day.

With the help of Mayor Holland and James, she had managed to put together a small party for him at James' Place. She hadn't stepped foot in the bar since Jake stood her up the first week she was in town and she wasn't exactly looking forward to going back but she really didn't have another choice. The only other option Mayor Holland gave her was the church but she quickly vetoed that idea.

Fitz usually finished up with his afternoon chores around 6 and came to be bar around 7 but she and James were supposed to set everything up at 6:30. It wasn't going to be a huge celebration, just a few drinks and maybe a few gifts from some friends around town. She had something special planned for just the two of them once they left the bar but that would have to go on the back burner for now.

Olivia pulled into the parking lot of the small store in town. She parked her car and got out and was pleasantly surprised that people smiled and waved at her as she made her way inside of the doors. As much as she didn't like living in Knights Ferry, she was definitely becoming a normal member of their community.

After grabbing a shopping cart from the front of the store, Olivia pulled her phone out to glance through her shopping list. Abbey's mother had sent her the ingredients to her famous butter creme birthday cake and she had all intentions on making it for Fitz. She had never been much of a baker but she was going to try it tonight.

Once she grabbed all of her cooking supplies, she headed towards the tiny aisle with healthcare products on it. She needed to pick them up a box of condoms for tonight because she was pretty sure they had already used the last one.

As much as they both preferred skipping the condom all together, it was just too risky. They did it the first night after being caught up in the moment but from that point on they made sure they had some form of protection. She made a mental note to get with her OBGYN back in Sacramento and have her prescribe a birth control that she could use. For now, these would have to do.

As her luck would have it, the lines in the store were empty. Most people were still out doing chores or working so the store hadn't seen much business this morning. Olivia walked over to where Mellie's friend, Emily, was checking people out and put on a bright smile.

'Good morning, Emily.' she said cheerily as she began to put her items up on the counter top. She had only met Emily a couple of times but she seemed friendly enough.

'Good morning, _bitch_.' she mumbled the last word after throwing her a fake smile and started scanning her items. Her breath hitched when she ran across the box of condoms then she glanced up at Olivia.

Noting that she had gotten preoccupied with doing something on her phone, Emily took the condoms and dropped them by her feet. That should definitely put a damper on whatever they had planned tonight.

'Will that be all for today, Olivia?' she asked, catching her attention.

'Ya, that's it.' she smiled and nodded her head then pulled her debit card out of her purse. She didn't even think to check the bags to make sure that she had everything before walking to her car and loading her groceries in the back.

Emily watched her leave and rolled her eyes before taking her phone out to text Mellie the good news. She went to go return the condoms to their original spot with a satisfied smile on her face.

Olivia pulled up to the front door of her cottage and nearly squealed as she noticed two boxes sitting on the steps of her front door. Because the town was so small, the Post Office only delivered packages once a week. She was just happy that everything got in on time.

After grabbing her bags off of the backseat, she got inside the house and brought the packages inside. She looked down at the time and decided that she should probably start cooking before wrapping any of his gifts up.

Without even having a second thought about the missing condoms, Olivia turned the oven on and started unpacking all of her groceries from the bags. Using the notes on her phone, she found the recipe for the cake and started baking. It didn't look too difficult when she watched Abbey's mom do it so she felt pretty confident in her abilities.

By 5:30 that afternoon, Olivia had finished her cake, wrapped up Fitz's gift, and was dressed to go. She had been purposely ignoring most of his texts and calls all day. She wanted to be sure that she didn't accidentally let the secret out.

'Where did I put those things?' she mumbled to herself as she loaded her items into her backseat. It didn't take long for her to realize that she must have accidentally left the condoms at the store. She nearly screamed as she got inside her car. She would have to rush back to the store before heading to the party.

Pushing her foot down hard on the gas, Olivia sped down the road. When she pulled up to the store she realized that all of the lights were off and that there were no cars in the parking lot. After passing by the glass doors in front, she saw a sign that said 'Sorry, We're Closed'.

Olivia huffed and smacked the top of her steering wheel. She had forgotten that the general store closed at 5 everyday and now she was screwed. The closest gas station was at least a 30 minute drive away and she really didn't have time to go all the way out there. After making a mental note to order some condoms in bulk from Amazon, she made her way towards the bar.

On the way to the bar, she got the best idea. It was as if a lightbulb went off in her head. She picked up her cellphone and searched through her contacts until she found what she was looking for. If she couldn't make it all the way out to the gas station then somebody could bring them to her. Olivia didn't exactly feel comfortable asking somebody to bring her condoms but desperate times called for desperate measures.

'Hey, Hannah! Can you do me a huge favor?'

* * *

It was almost 6:15 when she pulled into the parking lot of James' Place and there was already a small crowd of people inside. After meeting up with Hannah at the halfway point, she was running just a few minutes behind schedule. Olivia couldn't help but smile as she realized how the people in the community really came out to celebrate with Fitz. He was obviously a very special man.

Mellie was behind the bar when Olivia walked in and couldn't help but snicker at the sight of her. She and Jake had been planning for a week on what their next move would be and she was very excited to implement it. Emily hiding Olivia's little purchase today was really just icing on top of the cake.

Because she had been working all day, she was wearing a dirty apron that had condiment stains all over the front. Her hair started off in a neat bun on top of her head but it had fallen off to the side and her nails had dirt under them. She would never be as girly or prissy as Olivia but she certainly didn't want to be. In her opinion, she was weak and coddled.

'Olivia.' she called out in a sickly sweet way to get her attention. She would play nice tonight for the sake of Fitz's party.

Olivia smiled when she heard her name being called and made her way over to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. 'Hey, Mellie. How are you?'

'Great!' she said cryptically. 'This was really nice of you to put this whole thing on for Fitz, tonight.'

'He deserves it.' she said in a matter of fact tone.

'Of course, of course.' she nodded her head and cleaned out a glass she had in her hand. 'I think it was just kind of surprising when you said you wanted to do something for him.'

'Why is that?' Olivia cocked her head to the side curiously.

'Oh, its just that you guys just started dating a little while ago and I didn't think you guys were that close.' she said, barely even glancing to see Olivia's facial expression. 'Fitz has had a few serious girlfriends around town and none of them ever took out the time to do this type of stuff.'

Olivia's face scrunched up into an ugly frown. Of course she couldn't penalize Fitz for any dating habits he had before her but she definitely didn't want to hear in detail about any of the women of his past— especially if they were still hanging around town, 'Well, then it's their loss. Fitz is a great guy and I feel sorry for whoever lost him or wanted him and didn't get the chance.'

Mellie physically cringed at her words but quickly bounced back. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Olivia and it immediately made the wheels in her head begin to turn. _Does she like Fitz? I think she does._

James, who had been standing on the other side of the room putting up a small banner, had just noticed how close Olivia and Mellie had gotten. Anyone paying attention could easily see that their interaction was just a tad awkward and he felt obligated to go and fix whatever was going on. He was very aware of his daughter's infatuation with Fitz but he had also accepted that she didn't have a chance with him. He knew his sweet baby girl also had a rotten side to her and he didn't want her trying to sabotage anything.

With a pep in his step, he made his way over to the bar and smiled. 'Hey, Olivia. I'm almost done putting that banner you wanted up. Mind giving me a hand?'

Olivia had been closely studying Mellie but James' voice brought her out of it. She turned to him and nearly laughed. James was a big guy, tall and muscular, with a constantly furrowed unibrow, lots of facial hair, and a big round belly. The only place on him not covered in hair was the top of his shiny head and he was now covered in glitter and tape. Obviously, he needed help.

'Sure thing, James.' she left her phone on the bar and slid down the seat to go help him out.

Mellie waited until they occupied themselves with the decorations then slyly touched the Home button on Olivia's iPhone. She nearly gagged when she realized that her screensaver was a picture of her sitting in his lap. They were both topless, although the picture didn't show her breasts, and he was laying a kiss on her shoulder.

'This should be me.' she grumbled bitterly before sliding the lock to the right. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that there was no passcode on it.

Her home screen was a picture of Fitz with a mouthful of what Mellie had to assume waffles because that's what was on the plate in front of him. He was smiling and laughing and looked genuinely happy but she still wanted to throw the phone across the room.

She quickly went to Olivia's messages and searched for Fitz's name. Assuming he was the contact named ' **Daddy** ' with heart eyed emojis beside it, Mellie pretended to throw up in her mouth before pressing it.

'Mellie, what are you doing?' Mayor Holland asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. He hadn't seen all of their exchange go down but he knew enough to know that that was definitely Olivia's phone that she was handling. He eyed her suspiciously.

'Mayor!' she yelped and dropped the phone back down to the bar, now breathing a little heavily. Busted. 'When'd you get here? You excited about Fitz's party?' she asked, trying to bring the attention off of her.

'I'm very excited about Dr. Grant's little shindig.' he said, still looking her up and down. He had just come from City Hall but had managed to change into his favorite pair of jeans with an elastic waistband and a black t-shirt. 'Why did you have Olivia's phone?'

'Oh it was um.. It was ringing and I noticed Fitz had called so I was just pressing ignore for her. Don't want him coming in too early, do we?' she laughed a little awkwardly.

Mayor Holland slowly nodded his head and picked Olivia's phone up. He had known for years that Mellie was into Fitz but just like everyone else in town, he knew she didn't have a chance. He had been suspecting that it was Jake going around and messing with the new couple on the block but he definitely wouldn't have been surprised if he had an accomplice.

'Right.' he said, still not believing her. 'I'm going to take this to her and tell her Fitz called.'

'Oh, wait! Don't do that!' she shook her head. 'No need to distract her from her decorating. Just hand it off to her.'

'I suppose you're right, Mel.' his eyes squinted in her direction. Now that he had his suspects, all he needed was his proof. 'See you later.'

'Bye.' she said with a wide smile before turning her attention back to the cup she was cleaning.

Mayor Holland walked over to where Olivia and James were putting the banner up and tapped her shoulder. He didn't want to alarm her and make her worry but he did want her to be more careful when it came to leaving her things around Mellie.

'Hi, Mayor.' Olivia said with a smile.

'Hi, Olivia. It's so nice to see you out and about today. I've been looking forward to this party all week long.' he pulled her phone out of his pocket and handed it over. 'You left this at the bar.'

'Oh.' she took it and put it in the back pocket of her jeans. 'I just didn't want it falling out while I was moving around. Thank you, though.'

'No problem. And, Olivia—' he leaned in and spoke so only she could her him. 'Put a passcode on your phone. It'll keep you safer.' he patted her shoulder then walked over to where James was standing. They needed to have a little talk about his daughter.

Olivia gave him a quizzical look before shrugging her shoulders and returning back to her decorating duties. It wasn't going to be anything big or extravagant but she really wanted him to like it.

Everyone coming to the party was instructed to get their around 6:30 to make sure that they wouldn't run into Fitz on their way inside. Olivia mingled with the other citizens and laughed and talked and even tried a beer while they waited for him to show up.

Around 7:07, somebody who was standing beside the window started to yell. 'He just pulled up! He just pulled up!'

Olivia smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up to James who proceeded to turn the lights off in the room, leaving it completely dark. Mellie, who had been sitting behind the bar and sulking for the past hour, slowly made her way in with the rest of the crowd.

Fitz pulled up to the bar with a little extra pep in his step. While he hadn't really heard from Olivia all day he knew that they'd be together soon enough and that thought alone made him extremely happy. He hadn't even noticed the excess of cars parked outside tonight and opened the front door of the bar.

His nose crinkled when he realized that it was pitch black inside. 'James?' he called out.

' **SURPRISE!** ' the lights flipped back on, revealing almost the whole entire town all huddled around in the tight space.

'My God.' he said under his breath as he held his chest. He knew that there was only one person behind this and he scanned the crowd for his girlfriend.

He smiled warmly as he noticed her walking towards him. Fitz held his arms out to embrace her but instead, Mellie jumped in front of her and wrapped her arms around his body. He cringed at the contact but awkwardly patted her on her back.

'Happy birthday, Fitz!' she said excitedly, refusing to let him go. She couldn't remember the last time they hugged, probably years ago during one of his summer visits as a child, but she couldn't get enough of him. His body was warm and toned in all of the right places. No wonder why Olivia was always pressed against it.

'Thanks, Mel.' he said as he tried to escape her tight grasp.

James sighed and shook his head. He was going to have to lock her away if she kept his up. 'Hey, Mel.' he called out. 'I could really use your help behind the bar.'

Mellie huffed but whispered in Fitz's ear. 'I have a very special gift for you.' she slowly let him go and swayed her way back to the bar.

Olivia's nose crinkled at their short interaction but decided to ignore it. She took a few steps closer to him and smiled, taking both of his hands. Fitz squeezed down gently on her fingers, taking her in completely. It seemed like forever since he laid eyes on her.

'Hi.' she said, standing on the tips of her toes.

'Hi.' he said, meeting her halfway and pressing his lips against hers. 'Are you responsible for all of this?'

'Maybe.' she said with a coy smile. 'Do you like it?'

'You're a naughty little thing, you.' he pulled her body against his, nearly forgetting they were in public. 'I love it. Thank you. This is great.'

'Mmm.' she hummed and wrapped her arms around his torso. 'Drinks on me, birthday boy. Don't get too drunk, though. I'd hate to have to get James and Eddy to have to carry you home tonight.'

'You're the best.' he grinned and leaned forward again to take her lips. After a few moments their kisses got a little heated and the small crowd of people began whistling and catcalling at them.

Olivia giggled and hid in the cotton of Fitz's shirt. 'They're ruthless.'

He kissed the top of her head and said loud enough for the crowd to hear him. 'They're all just jealous of us.'

Fitz had been having a great time all night. He was surrounded by all of his friends in town and they had spent the night drinking and telling old stories and just having a good time. He had kept Olivia wrapped under his arm for most of the night but she had managed to disappear on him about 40 minutes ago.

He was in the middle of listening to Eddy tell a story about Hooter and the kids when his phone buzzed in his back pocket. It was message from Olivia so he immediately opened it.

 **'Come join me when the party gets too dull. I'll be waiting.'** \- Olivia

Attached to the message was a picture of the night time sky. He could see pieces of the torn up roof of the barn and he realized that she was obviously back at the ranch. He glanced down at his watch and realized that it was almost 11. The party was still going on but he had been there long enough. He needed to get back home.

 **'Don't move. I'll be there in 10.'** \- Fitz

After finishing up with Eddy's story, he said his goodbyes to everyone and told James that he'd pick up his gifts first thing in the morning. James could only laugh and shake his head. He saw Olivia sneak out a little while ago and could only imagine why Fitz was rushing off so quickly. Hell, he couldn't blame him.

Mellie was waiting at the door when Fitz tried to leave. She couldn't help but frown as he seemed like he was in such a rush. 'Hey, where are you going? The party isn't over.'

'Stomach flu.' he said dismissively as he quickly brushed past her and headed towards his truck in the parking lot. He was usually very careful with his vehicle but tonight, he was a man on a mission. Fitz sped out of the lot and down the road on his way to the ranch.

* * *

When he arrived home he didn't even bother to grab the tractor or his ATV to get out into the field. He drove his truck straight through the grass to the barn and parked near the entrance. After turning it off, he made his way up the stairs.

Fitz couldn't help but smile when he finally laid eyes on her. She was laying flat on her back on top of a pile of hay, wearing nothing but one of his button down shirts. He slowly made his way over and sat down next to her.

'So this is why you ditched me?' he asked, looking down at her face. She was staring up into the sky. She had never realized how much she loved watching the stars until Fitz showed them to her.

'Can you blame me?' she glanced over at him. 'Look at how beautiful the stars are tonight.'

'That's the thing about stars, Liv. They're beautiful every night.' he said as he laid down next to her.

'But they're especially nice tonight.' she said half defensively. As soon as he got comfortable, she molded herself into his side and laid her head on his shoulder.

'How'd you get out here without me? I know you didn't drive the tractor by yourself and I didn't seen an ATV parked outside anywhere.' he asked as he lazily ran his fingers up and down her exposed upper thigh.

'I believe the saying goes a magician never tells her secrets.' she teased. 'How's it feel to be almost 33?'

'The same as 32.' he chuckled and shook his head. 'I'm not feeling any older. Just.. Lighter than before.'

'Mhhmm.' she hummed, prompting him to continue.

'You make me feel light.' he said, struggling to find the right words. 'Every year for my birthday I usually just do chores and grab a drink at the bar then I start the day back over. You've changed everything for me. Nothing about my life has been the same since you rolled into town.'

'Changed in a good way?' she asked hopefully, laying small kisses on his neck.

'In the best way.' he quickly assured. 'I was all by myself before you got here. I think I was lonely and I didn't even know it.' he chuckled and shook his head. 'I moved all the way to California from DC and built these huge iron walls because I thought I liked being isolated. I was incredibly wrong.'

Olivia smiled and wrapped an arm around his upper torso and hitched her leg across his waist. 'Will you tell me about some more stars?'

'I think we've gone over all of them.' he said cheekily before analyzing the sky for something else.

'Well, then tell me about them again. I like to hear you talk about them.' she said honestly.

They laid and talked about the stars for the next few minutes until Olivia's watch beeped at 12:00. She shifted her weight so that she could straddle his thighs and purposely sat right on top of his crotch.

'This barn is special, ya know.' she said, running her hands up and down his broad chest. She could feel his breath quickening under her touch. She found it amazing how quickly she could turn him on.

Fitz's nose slightly crinkled but he decided to play along. He wasn't sure how special this old dirty barn was but she obviously had her reasons. 'Do tell.' he said as he laid his hands on the tops of her thighs.

'Well, this is where you brought me on our first date.' she rested her palms on the tops of his hands. 'This is where we spent our first night together.. We were laying right here in this spot when you first started telling me about the different stars in the sky.. This is where we threw Max and Shannon their not-prom and this is where I first told you I loved you.'

Fitz's face softened as he listened to her. Alright, so maybe it wasn't _just_ a barn. 'We do have a lot of good memories here.'

'We do.' she nodded her head. 'And we have all the time in the world to make more.' Olivia picked up both of his hands and kissed his palms before letting them go.

After making sure that she had his full attention, she began slowly grinding her hips against his and unbuttoning his shirt from the top. She could start to feel his penis hardening and she knew she had him right where she wanted him.

'Happy birthday to you.' she sang in a low and sultry voice as she made it towards the middle buttons, revealing a lacy red bra underneath. This was one of the things she had gotten in the mail today.

'Happy birthday to you.' she sang just a little lower as she finished near the bottom and slid the shirt down her shoulders.

Fitz's hands immediately stretched out to rip the shirt off of her body. She was moving way too slow for his taste and all he wanted now was to have her naked. Olivia took hold of both of his wrists and pushed them back down by his side. He was just going to have to sit and wait until she got done.

'Happy birthday, Fitzgerald.' she finally tossed the shirt over to the side and now he got a clear view of the matching thong. He could feel himself pressing against the crotch of her panties but the only relief he got was her moving her hips. Conveniently placed in between the skin on her hip and the string of the underwear was a condom with a golden wrapper.

'Happy birthday to you.' she said, finishing up her little song. She slowly slid down further down his legs until she could get a grip on his belt buckle.

'You're going to have to sit and watch me, birthday boy. Let me do something special for you, alright?' she looked him in the eyes, awaiting his answer before opening up his pants.

Fitz sat up on his elbows, taking in the view in front of him. He slowly nodded his head as he felt his erection now straining against his boxers. His hips jerked up as he searched for some type of friction to relieve his ache.

Amused by his behavior, Olivia fought back her smile and finished unclasping his belt and unbuttoning the button at the top of his pants. Leaning forward, she took his zipper in between her teeth and slowly lowered it. Once his pants were open, she laid kisses on the exposed part of his green and blue tartan boxers.

Fitz's eyes rolled to back of his head as his hips involuntarily jerked again. Her lips were right on top of his shaft and it was driving him absolutely crazy. He reached down and pushed his pants further down his thighs hoping that that would encourage her to give in to what he wanted.

Olivia reached inside the hole of his boxers and pulled his length out, her eyes widening as she watched it twitch with anticipation. It never ceased to amaze her to see how large he was when he was at full attention. As eager as Fitz was to perform oral on her, he had never allowed her to reciprocate. Now that he was trapped under her, this was her opportunity.

'Baby.' he breathed, trying to grasp her attention. 'Please.'

'Patience.' she softly scolded as she used both of her hands to wrap around his thick length. Tightening her grip, she massaged and rubbed until she started to feel precum start spilling from his tip. He was going to have to stop this, soon. He wanted to be inside of her when he finally found his release and he definitely didn't want to make it to that point before she came.

Leaning forward again, Olivia slowed her hands down and started placing wet kisses up and down his shaft. She moved one hand to his balls and massaged them both while the other held on to the base of his cock. Fitz let out a long groan and shut his eyes as he allowed himself to enjoy the sensations.

'Look at me, Fitz.' she softly demanded. 'I want you to look at me while I take you into my mouth.'

'Fuck.' he exhaled but nodded his head, prying his lids open once more to watch her.

With a sensual smile on her face, Olivia ran her tongue from the base of his dick near his balls and all the way to his tip before taking him in her mouth. She tightened her lips as she slid him down her throat, humming appreciably as she tasted him.

Fitz never broke eye contact with her as he watched her bob her head up and down on his length and massage his sac. She's trying to kill me. He could feel the pressure starting to build in his balls and he knew he was going to cum soon if she didn't stop.

'Olivia.' he rasped, trying to get her attention. 'Liv!'

Olivia ignored him completely as she felt the tip of his cock press into the back of her throat. She let out a low hum that sent vibrations all through his body. Fitz's entire body clenched up as he willed himself not to let go in her mouth. When she sucked hard and hollowed her jaws, he knew he had to stop her.

'Stop!' he said harshly, this time catching her attention.

She quickly brought him out of her mouth and her face flustered. She really thought he was enjoying himself so she was a little disappointed when he stopped her so abruptly. Olivia looked down, adverting her eyes from him.

Fitz sat up and grabbed her by her shoulders before roughly pressing his lips against hers. He thrusted his tongue in her mouth and let his hands roam down her body until they found her plump ass. He kissed his way down her jawline, his lips touching against every inch of skin he encountered on the way.

'You were going to make me cum if you kept that up.' he hissed lowly in her ear. 'I don't cum until you do.'

His authoritative tone sent Olivia's senses into overdrive. Fitz wasn't the most dominant person in bed, Olivia could only assume he was a little shy, but the times it did come out of him drove her absolutely wild. 'I wanted to make you feel good.'

'You did.' he assured as his fingertips began exploring her back. He managed to find the snap on the back of her flimsy bra and expertly unfastened it. Fitz helped her get it down her shoulders before tossing it to the side.

His eyes perked up at the sight of her pierced nipples. He had never been the biggest fan of any type of body modification but these and her tattoos were different. Fitz honestly believed that they were the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his life. Without hesitation, he attached his mouth to her right nipple and his tongue teased her firm nub.

Olivia's fingers immediately traveled to his hair and her back arched, pressing her breast firmly against his mouth. Fitz used his free hand to further travel down her stomach until he found the hem of her panties. He teased her, moving ever so slowly until he found her folds.

Fitz chuckled lowly and released her nipple from his mouth. He had all intentions on marking her up tonight but that could wait. 'You are so wet. Is all this for me, pretty girl?'

Her breath hitched, causing her to let out a high pitched squeal as he began to gently pinch her clit. Unable to utter a word, she simply nodded before dropping her head to his shoulder. _It must be the drinks making him act like this._

'Tell me.' he demanded. 'Let me hear you. Is all this for me?' Fitz continued to play with her pussy. He was enjoying watching her struggle to speak. He couldn't help but get a little boost of his pride knowing that it was him who was causing her so much pleasure.

When Olivia didn't speak, he decided to get his answer another way. With his free hand, he laid a firm pop on her backside. He watched her body language carefully, making sure that that was something she liked. Doing it definitely made his dick twitch.

Olivia squeaked loudly and her whole body jerked against him. Her eyes widened with shock as she made eye contact with him but shock immediately turned into desire and arousal. She hissed lowly at him before biting down on his shoulder.

'It's for you. It's all for you.' she said as she continued grinding her hips against his hand. 'Please spank me again.'

Fitz bit down on his bottom lip but smiled and smacked her again, this time just a little bit harder. Using the hand still in her panties, he slid his pointer finger in her entrance. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to tease her before he had to rip her panties off and take her.

'Fuck.' she exhaled as she began trying to ride his hand. Fitz inserted his middle finger and used his thumb to rub against her clit. He wanted her to cum hard. He wanted to hear her scream.

'Good girl.' he encouraged softly as he watched her rock her hips against his hand. 'You're almost there.'

While they hadn't been intimate long, Fitz had learned some of her tells. One of the obvious ones is when her taut little stomach and thighs began to tremble. As soon as she began to shake, he brought his lips right in the reach of hers, teasing her.

'Fuck!' she screamed as her orgasm finally washed her over. She nipped at his bottom lip but he immediately pulled away. He wanted to listen to her moan and cry out and he wouldn't be able to if their lips were pressed together. He continued to stroke her clit as she came down from her high.

Fitz finally pulled his hand out and offered his pointer finger to her, pressing it to her bottom lip. 'Taste yourself.'

Olivia took his digit into her mouth and sucked it clean, tasting herself all over his skin. Wanting to relish in her flavor himself, he licked his middle finger of her essence. He reached in the waistband of her thong and grabbed the condom that was settled there. As soon as he got it open, she grabbed his hands.

'Can I put it on you?' she asked, looking in his eyes.

'Mhm.' he nodded his head and handed it over to her.

Olivia smiled and tossed the wrapped to the side before sliding the rubber down his length. He let out a pleasured groan as her soft fingers pressed against his skin. Without any warning, Fitz pulled on the lace of her thong, ripping it to pieces as he put it off to the side.

'Baby!' she gasped. She didn't know why she was so surprised, though. It was a habit of his. She was definitely running low on underwear so she needed him to stop but she also found it incredibly sexy. 'I'm going to run out of panties.'

'Good. Maybe you'll stop wearing them.' he said, unaffected by her droning.

He took hold of her hips, fingers pressed down firmly into her soft skin. Olivia shifted herself so that she could hover above the tip of his waiting cock. She wanted to go straight down and take him all in but his grip on her body forced her to slow down.

Olivia's jaw dropped as he started to impale her. She wanted to moan or say anything but she just couldn't get a sound to escape from her throat. Her body lurched as she made it halfway down his cock. She looked down between them and whimpered. He already felt impossible deep and they had barely even started. Olivia pressed her hips against his hands in an attempt to go faster but he wouldn't allow it.

'Slow, pretty girl. Take it slow.' he said, nipping at her bottom lip. He immediately kissed it to soothe away the sting.

Her bottom lip quivered against his. 'Baby, please.'

'You're almost there.' he soothed.

Olivia huffed and leaned forward, bracing herself on his shoulders. He finally let her all the way down and she let out a satisfied purr as he completely buried himself inside of her. _He's in my stomach, I swear._

Fitz gave her a few moments to get adjusted to their new position before he began slowly rocking her hips against his. It didn't take long for her to join into their movements, lifting herself up and down on his dick. This angle allowed him to touch her sweet spot every time she came down and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

'Just like that.' he licked his lips, watching as she went faster and her breasts began bouncing up and down.

 _Yep, he's definitely in my stomach._

Moving one hand from her hip, he pressed his thumb against her clit. Fitz rubbed gentle circles on the nub as she rode him. He pushed his hips up, now meeting her stroke for stroke. It didn't take much longer for Olivia to become fully adjusted and she began bouncing freely.

'Fuck.' Fitz exhaled, throwing his head back. 'You ride my cock so good baby.' his hands moved from her hips so that they could cup her bottom and he gave her two unyielding smacks.

Spurred on by his reaction, Olivia began clenching her muscles around his length. Fitz's body jolted at the new sensation and he knew he needed to slow her down. He definitely didn't want this to end yet but he wouldn't be able to last much longer if she was doing that.

Using his core muscles, he sat up straight and grabbed her by her waist and flipped them over. Olivia huffed in complaint about their new position change as she adjusted her naked body in the hay below her. She opened her legs up a bit wider for him to settle himself in between.

Fitz leaned forward and started laying tender kisses all over her pouty face, soothing her complaints away. He began slowly stroking in and out of her slick portal, pulling himself out to his tip before pushing himself back in.

Olivia knew what he was doing. He was trying to make himself last longer but she wanted him to go faster. She began pushing her hips upwards, meeting his thrusts. Fitz grunted at the sound of their hips smacking together.

'Naughty girl.' he admonished. Knowing that she was flexible enough to handle it, Fitz grabbed her legs and pushed them over his shoulders.

Olivia gasped and her eyebrows furrowed as she got accustomed. Realizing that her mobility was now limited, she attempted to change their position again. Fitz shook his head and held her there as he began his slow ministrations once more.

Her neck arched and she moaned loudly as he held her body in a state of torture. _Next time I'm going to have to handcuff him to something._

Fitz couldn't help but smile down at her and she writhed and wiggled underneath his body. He could tell she wasn't used to not being in control at all times but she would just have to learn. He knew she'd never cum if he kept this up but he couldn't help but savor the feeling of her tight pussy clenching down on him.

'Do you want to cum? I know you do.' he said as he laid kisses on the side of her face near her ear.

Olivia whimpered and nodded her head. She attempted to move her hips again but finally gave up, realizing that all of her efforts were futile.

'Tell me how bad you want to. Beg me.' he commanded as he snapped his hips forward so that he filled her up. He remained still, waiting on her response.

After letting out a high pitched squeal, Olivia tilted her neck up to reach him. 'Please.. Please.. Please give it to me. Please make me cum.' she said as she laid kisses all over his lips. She usually wasn't the type to beg and nobody ever tried to make her but with Fitz it was different. She knew he wouldn't relent until she did what he asked.

'Good girl.' he mumbled with a smile before he began moving his hips again. He started off slow and sensual as they shared a few more kisses between them but that ended soon enough.

As Fitz increased their pace, the sounds of their moans and skin being tapped together filled the barn. Olivia's fingers immediately entangled themselves in his hair. She didn't mean to be so rough but she couldn't help but pull at the curls at the nape of his neck.

Fitz could feel her thighs and legs begin to tremble as they rested on his body. She's close. He lowered her left leg so that it could rest against the floor of the barn and moved his hand in between their bodies. Using his thumb, he stimulated her clit.

Olivia screamed and shut her eyes tightly. Her body felt tense all over as her orgasm built within her. Fitz watched her closely, wanting to see the exact moment that she finally let ecstasy take over and he was definitely not disappointed.

Her back arched up high, pressing into his body and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Olivia's mouth had gaped open and her hands moved from his head to his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his back. Fitz held on to her trembling body as he continued stroking inside of her. He came a few moments after and his head fell down to her shoulder and he rested his weight on top of her body.

Olivia moaned in complaint as he sat up on his knees and pulled his dick out of her. He couldn't help but admire her sex, now dripping with her essence due to her orgasm. He knew that they probably needed to get back to the house soon so they could actually spend the night in bed instead of sleeping in the hay but he wanted to do something first.

Fitz reached beside him and grabbed his boxers and shorts. He knew he'd be laying on his stomach and he really didn't want to press himself directly on the barn floor. Olivia watched him get dressed and sat up to grab her clothes but he pushed her right back down.

'I'm not done with you.' he growled, daring her to sit back up.

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip and nodded her head, knowing exactly what was coming next. She didn't know what she did to deserve a man who enjoyed having his mouth on her all the time but she wished she had done it a lot sooner. She widened her legs and fought the smile threatening to take over her lips and she anticipated what was coming next.

Fitz licked his lips as she opened herself up to him. Using his thumbs, he spread out her lips and admired her. He knew it made her uncomfortable when he just stared at her but he couldn't help himself. She was absolutely beautiful. _Every_ part of her.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Fitz laid down on his stomach and wrapped her thighs around his head. He spent some time kissing and licking her thighs before going straight to her entrance. He used his tongue to lap up all of her juices before finally traveling to her clit.

Olivia's hips thrusted upwards into his face but he simply pushed her body back down. She would have to wait until he was finished to cum and he wasn't compromising that. He could spend his whole life with his face nestled in between her thighs and he still wouldn't have enough. It was as if she held the secrets of the universe down there.

A little oversensitive from their previous actions, Olivia found herself of the verge of an orgasm soon. Her thighs tightened around Fitz's head but she tried to hold them apart, not wanting to suffocate him. He knew she was trying to resist so he sucked her clit into his mouth and flicked his tongue over it. If this is the way he died then he would die a happy and extremely satisfied man.

Fitz couldn't help but grin as her body began to tremble. She came soon and her thighs completely clenched around his head before they went limp. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was whimpering as the sensations ran over her body. He smiled and kissed her pelvis and sides as she recovered from her 3rd orgasm of the night. He could tell she was getting tired so now would be a good time for them to shower and retire to bed.

He waited until she opened her eyes to help her sit up and stand up himself. 'Let's go back to the house and get some sleep.'

'Okay.' she said, nodding her head. She reached over and grabbed the shirt she had on and wrapped slid her arms through it. After a quick glance around them she realized that her panties and bra were completely missing but she could only assume he had them.

Olivia attempted to stand up but then realized how weak her legs were. She was sure that she'd be too sore to do much walking in the morning. She whined petulantly to get his attention.

'Baby.' she huffed with her arms raised to him.

Fitz chortled and walked over to where she was sitting. 'I need to carry you?'

'Please? My legs hurt.' her bottom lip protruded but she pushed it back in as Fitz turned his back to her and kneeled down. She climbed on his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

He stood up to his feet and grabbed her legs to help support her weight. She yawned softly and lazily rested her head on his face and took in his scent. Olivia didn't really like staying in Knights Ferry and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to be there all her life but Fitz smelled like _home_. Home was wherever he was.

When they reached the truck, he carefully put her in on the passenger side and shut the door. Neither of them bothered with a seatbelt since the ride wouldn't be long and there definitely wouldn't be any traffic. When he started the truck he noticed his phone sitting in his cup holder.

 _Mom, 30 Missed Calls_

Fitz rolled his eyes but decided to ignore it for now. His mom usually called him at midnight on his birthday every year so that she could be the first person to tell him happy birthday but this year he was a bit preoccupied so he had missed her calls. Deciding it could wait, he drove them back to the house.

* * *

Fitz groaned and stretched as he stood on the porch of the house. He had just finished his morning chores and assumed that Olivia was still sound asleep in bed and he was definitely ready to join her after he washed off. She absolutely hated when he crawled into bed right after working and he really didn't want a cranky and mad Olivia on his hands this morning.

With a tired groan, he hung his hat up on the rack and pulled his boots off and walked over to the closet to put them away. He noticed a small hole in the left one and made a mental note to grab a new pair from the store when he went out later. He stood up straight and shut the closet door then felt something pressed into his body.

Olivia hopped on to Fitz's back and quickly covered his eyes with a piece of cloth that he had to assume was one of her silk shirts. She had been doing laundry the night before and it smelled like the heavenly organic whatever that she used. Mayor Holland's wife used to always say that there was some benefit to having a 'woman's touch' around and he had to believe that this was one of them.

He stumbled back slightly, tired from his hard morning at work. Olivia was never this playful, especially in the morning, and he found himself amused and slightly curious by her behavior. 'What are you doing, little woman?'

'Why are you here?' she asked as she tied the shirt behind his head and slid down off of his back. She wasn't expecting to him back so early so she had to improvise.

'I live here.' he chuckled and turned around. 'And I occasionally pay a bill or two.'

'I know but why are you here so early?' she clarified.

Fitz couldn't see her but he could tell she was wearing a pout. 'It's my birthday so I cut the work day off a little early. The farm won't burn down if I take a little break.'

'You weren't supposed to be back for another 30 minutes and you almost ruined your birthday surprise.' she smacked his chest, causing him to wince in pain.

'Hey, hey.' he took hold of her wrist before she could pull it away. 'Play nice.'

'You have to go upstairs right now and take a shower and wait in bed.' she said sternly as she began leading him towards the stairs.

'I must have been really good this year.' he said, his ears perking up as they moved closer to the kitchen and he could smell breakfast being made. 'The birthday surprises just keep coming and coming.'

'Not really.' she said as she walked beside him, helping him take one stair at a time. 'I do this for all of my boyfriends to make them feel special.'

'Olivia.' he admonished, warning her not to continue. He barely wanted to think about another man giving her a side church hug so this was definitely not a topic up for discussion.

'Kidding, kidding.' she teased as they made it to the second floor. She helped him get into the bedroom then took the shirt off of his head but threw it directly back into the dirty laundry bag in the closet. It was wet from the sweat on his head and she definitely didn't plan on putting it on.

'So when will I be getting the rest of my present?' he asked, blinking a few times to readjust himself to the light. 'It obviously isn't shower sex if you're going back downstairs. Wait.. Is it shower sex?' he raised his eyebrows, ready to rip through her clothes.

'Is that all you think about?' she smirked and shook her head. 'Just go get cleaned up, ok? I promise it's going to be worth it.'

He huffed but nodded his head. As she turned to walk away, Fitz smacked her bottom. Olivia squeaked and held on to her butt cheek.

'What was that for?'

'For your tasteless joke while we were walking up the stairs.' he said pointedly before heading towards the bathroom, grabbing his cellphone off of the nightstand before going in.

Fitz still hadn't had time to call his mother back and he now had another 50 missed calls from her and a few text messages from some friends wishing him well. Deciding to tackle one issue at a time, he called his mother back while he prepared the shower.

Assuming that their conversation wouldn't last long, he sat down on the toilet and waited for her to answer. Fitz did feel a little bad for breaking their birthday tradition and had originally planned on apologizing but that plan was thrown away. He definitely didn't regret doing what he did last night and would do it again if he got the opportunity.

A vision of Olivia bouncing up and down on his cock under the moonlight popped in his head and he could feel his manhood twitch in his jeans. His fantasy was halted abruptly when he heard whispers coming from his phone.

'Hello?'

'Mom?' his eyebrows furrowed and his nostrils flared. The women of his family loved dramatics. 'Mom, why are you whispering?

'Thomas? Thomas is that you?' she whispered, this time a little lower.

Fitz sighed and turned his shower off. Obviously this was going to take longer than he expected. 'Yes, it's me. Why wouldn't it be me?'

'Because I know my son. My son would've answered the phone when I called him. Especially on his birthday because he knows I call him at midnight so I can be the first person to talk to him.' she said, her voice full of false hurt to make him feel guilty. Fitz saw right through her act.

'I'm sorry I—'

'I thought you were dead! You could've been riding a goat and fallen off and bumped your head! Or even worse, you could have been in bed sick! What would I do if you're sick? Who's going to be there to rub your head and feed you soup and kiss your shoulders the way you like?' she was now screaming and Fitz had the hold the phone away from his ear.

He rolled his eyes. 'Mother, I'm a grown man. Nobody has to be here to do those things for me anymore. I can make my own soup and rub my own head.' his eyebrows furrowed. 'And I don't ride goats, I raise them. I feel like we've had this discussion before.'

'I bet you were spending time with that girlfriend of yours instead of answering my calls.' she pouted. 'Was she the first person to tell you happy birthday?'

Not wanting to lie to her, and definitely not seeing the need to, he sighed and nodded his head as if she could see him. 'Yes, Olivia was the first person to tell me.'

'Hmph.' she hummed as if saying 'I knew it'. 'Tiffany showed her to me on the Tweeter. I bet you didn't think I'd find out, did you? I also saw it on the Facebook when I logged on.'

Fitz's nose crinkled at her mispronunciations but decided that it was no need to correct her. If Tiffany and Teddy couldn't get her to say it right then how in the world could he? 'She's a very special lady, mom.'

'She has to be. You know that show that I watch at night time after the 5'clock news? What's it, E Entertainment? I saw her on there too. She was wearing a really pretty ballgown but from my understanding she just writes books, right?'

The phrase 'just write books' made him want to vomit. He couldn't understand why other people didn't get how special she and her work was. 'Yes she's an author but she also does a lot of charity work and—'

'And she's pretty, too.' she said, interrupting him again. He was surprised he had gotten this many words in so he really didn't mind. 'I had your brother pull her up on my Instantgram and I was looking at all of her pictures and she gets a lot of those little heart things. I followed her on there but she never followed me back.'

Fitz held in his chuckle. 'I don't think she follows anybody, mom. Don't take it too personally.'

'Well, why haven't you introduced us yet, darling?' she asked nosily.

'Because we live in California and you all live in DC which is all the way across the country.' he explained gently. He knew what was coming next. She was about to start whining and complaining until he caved but he was going to stay strong this time.

'Welllll.. Your father is out of town on a golfing thing with some of his friends but, lucky for us, he'll be here for the big July 4th family celebration we do every year!' she said excitedly.

'Mom, we never do a family celebration for the 4th.' he said suspiciously.

'Well, we do now! It's the 1st Annual Grant Big Blowout 4th of July Extravaganza!' she said, coming up with the name on the spot. 'But we need you to come so all 5 of us can be here. How can we have a big, blowout party without our oldest son?'

'I cant just leave the farm unattended, you know that.' his head shook.

'But Thomas, you haven't been home in over 3 years! I have been absolutely wasting away since the last time I got a chance to hug you! What if I die of old age tomorrow?'

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure who was more dramatic, her or Tiffany, but he didn't feel like dealing with this today. 'People don't typically die of old age at 55, mother.'

She gasped as if somebody had just stabbed her straight in her stomach. 'How did you know I was 55?'

'Mother! Focus!' he said sternly. 'I have to go shower and get ready for breakfast. I'm sorry I wont be able to make it to celebrate but—'

'Tommy, please? Pleasssee? Pullleeaaasseee?' she whined loudly in his ear. 'What if I never see you again? People die everyday, Thomas. Everyday! I may never meet my grandkids!' she went from whining to whimpering and pretending to cry in no time. She was prepared to lay it on thick to get what she wanted.

Before Fitz could make his next objection, his mother began singing into the phone obnoxiously.

 _If I die young, bury me in satin_  
 _Lay me down on a bed of roses_  
 _Sink me in a river at dawn_  
 _Send me away with the words of a love song_

'If you promise to stop all this death talk then I guess I could find somebody to watch over the farm for a few days.' he sighed and shook his head. So much for staying strong, Fitz.

His mother's pitiful noises immediately stopped and she perked right back up. 'And you should be your girlfriend, too. We would all love to meet her.'

'Mom, I—'

'Thomas, pleeasseeee?'

'I'll ask! I'll ask!' he said, trying to avoid her having another hissy fit. 'But if she comes I don't want to hear any talk about grandkids. I mean it!'

'My lips are sealed!' she promised. 'But I can't wait till I have little baby faces to mush and kiss and love— Oh I cant wait!' she squealed loudly.

'Now that you've gotten what you wanted, can I go?' he sighed and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair.

'Yes! I'll have the maid get your room waiting! Oh this is so exciting! Bye! Love you!' she hung up abruptly and Fitz shook his head.

He could only imagine that she was doing her little dance she did when she got her way, which was often. She knew exactly what to do to push everybody's buttons until they finally caved and today was no different. Fitz sighed and put his phone down and hopped into the shower. He would have to do a lot of preparation to get ready for his trip to DC.

After washing away the dirt of the day, he put on a clean pair of boxers and a pair of Adidas sweatpants Olivia had gotten him a few weeks ago. He didn't understand the hype behind them but apparently they 'made his ass look great' so he indulged her. They were pretty comfortable but he definitely didn't think that they were worth $45.

Well, maybe they were worth it. He'd never tell Olivia he thought that, though.

Fitz walked out of the bathroom and a huge smile took over his face. Olivia was sitting on top of his bed with her legs crisscrossed. Sitting beside her was a tray full of breakfast food and she was holding at least 20 balloons in her hand.

'What do we have here?' he asked as he crawled into bed next to her. He moved the tray onto his lap and kissed her cheek.

'It's birthday breakfast.' she smiled brightly. 'And, I got you a gift.'

'Olivia, you shouldn't have.' he said seriously. 'You've already done so much for me.'

'Shut up.' she pressed her lips against his to stop him from talking. Olivia released the balloons and they all floated to the top of the ceiling, spreading out wildly. She pulled the wrapped gift from underneath the bed and put it in front of him.

'I wanted to do something for you since its your big day. You make everyday I'm in Knights Ferry feel special so this was the least I could do. It's not anything big or expensive but I wanted you to know I care.'

Fitz's eyes softened as he took in her sincere tone. He smiled and took a bite out of his pancakes then moved the tray to the night stand before grabbing the wrapped box. Careful to mind the nice wrapping, he unpeeled the paper from the box then opened it. His jaw dropped slightly as he pulled out the box to the gaming system he had when he was younger. The original seal was still on it so he had to assume it had never been opened. He was actually pretty surprised she remembered something as minuscule as that.

Olivia watched him as he got the tape open. 'I remembered when you said that the best birthday you ever had was when you went to New York to get a Gamecube and I imagine you didn't have it anymore so.. I replaced it.'

She reached into the box and pulled out the 2 controllers. 'And, I was hoping you'd teach me how to play. I bought a few games and—'

Before she could finish her sentence, his lips were on hers and his tongue was tasting the inside of her mouth. The gift may have been small but this was the most sincere thing anybody had ever gotten him. People usually bought him practical gifts like gloves or shovels or something extremely expensive but Olivia had actually put thought into hers. He was extremely touched by the gesture and he definitely planned on showing it to her.

Fitz pushed her shoulders gently, causing her to fall back onto the soft bed. He hovered over her as he started laying kisses on her neck and shoulder and his left hand began laying with the band on her Nike shorts that she liked to wear around the house.

'So, you liked it?' she asked curiously before biting down on her bottom lip. She had thought about maybe a watch or something but this seemed like the better option. It was information shared during a moment of intimacy and she wanted him to know that she had been listening.

'I love it.' he mumbled as he continued his path down her body. He pushed her flimsy tank top up so that he could get a clear view of her cocoa colored skin. Once he laid a few kisses all around her belly, he moved to her navel and dipped his tongue in it.

Olivia's breath hitched and her back arched slightly but Fitz pushed her back down onto the bed. He could only imagine how wet she was getting in those little shorts but he planned on stringing this along for a little while longer. He wanted to see her writhing with need before he even got to her panties.

Fitz moved down further until he reached the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. He held onto her legs, ensuring she wont squirm too much, before nipping and sucking at her flesh. He knew he was going to leave marks but he didn't care. He planned on absolutely catering to her body to show her his immense gratitude.

 **'Bzzzzzzzzzz'**

Fitz's phone began vibrating extremely loudly against the wood of the nightstand, grabbing both of their attention. He sighed, realizing that there was somebody buzzing at the front gate. Getting a visitor was a rare occurrence and he could only let out a string of curses as he realized they had unexpected company.

He was about to get up and see who it was until she began to whimper in complaint. Her bottom lip was poked out and she seemed a little more than aggravated that he was actually getting up to go. Fitz chuckled and shook his head. Whoever was at the door was going to have to wait or come back later on. His little woman came first.

'Can I try something Can _we_ try something?' he clarified as he got out of the bed.

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip and sat up on her elbows as she watched him walk away. 'We can try whatever you want.. I trust you.' she said softly.

Fitz smiled and let out a contented sigh. It seemed like it had taken forever for them to get to this point where she trusted him wholeheartedly but it was the best feeling in the world. He walked inside of his closet and searched through his good church clothes until he found a tie. He only wore them on special occasions like Easter or Christmas so it hadn't been getting much use.

He stuffed the article of clothing into his deep pockets then walked back into the room to find her waiting and ready. She was studying him curiously, obviously wanting to know what he had up his sleeve, but she would have to wait.

'Baby.. What are we going to try?' she asked as he watched him walk over to the bed.

Fitz smiled and kneeled down next to where she was laying. 'In due time. Can I have a kiss?'

She bit down on her lip but nodded her head, turning her body slightly so that she could take his lips. Fitz used his hand to cup her cheek, holding her steady as he tasted the inside of her mouth.

 **'Bzzzzzzzzz'**

His phone began to vibrate again, letting them know that their guest was still awaiting entry. Olivia moved to grabbed the phone but he pushed her hand back down. In his opinion, whoever was outside should have had the decency to call first so it served them right to have to wait until they were finished with their activities.

'They can wait.' he said as he reached to turn his phone completely off. 'You're my priority. Understood?' he ran his thumb over her plump lips.

'I understand.' she nodded, hiding her satisfied smirk but gently nipping at his thumb.

He moved back on top of the bed so that he could lay above her once more. He sat on his knees between her parted thighs and softly caressed her sides and thighs. 'Can I see your hands?'

Olivia looked him up and down curiously before finally offering her limbs over to him. She had already agreed to whatever he had planned so she knew it was no going back now. Fitz smiled at her willingness and pulled the tie out of his pocket. He didn't break eye contact with her as secured her wrist with the fabric then attached it to the bed post above her head.

'Too tight?' he asked gently, ever aware of her feelings and body language.

'No.' her head shook slightly.

'Good.' he said as he began slowly pulling her shorts down her legs. She lifted her legs up slightly to help him push them down then he tossed them to the side.

A look of satisfaction came over his face as he saw his love bites on her skin from the previous night. He laid down on his stomach between her legs and teasingly kissed the wet crotch of her panties. She was wearing a pair of boy shorts so he knew he'd have to pull these off instead of ripping them. Olivia's legs immediately wrapped around him and she let out a small squeak. He loved how responsive her body was to him.

Fitz was the absolute master of teasing. She swore he could probably get off on that alone because it certainly seemed like one of his favorite things to do. He constantly wore this smirk because he knew the things he could do to her body and she wanted to wipe the smug look off his face but she couldn't. He could definitely back up that big ego of his so she let it slide.

'Ahh.. _Shit_.' her back arched up painfully as Fitz sucked on her clit through her now drenched underwear. He pushed her body back down so that it rested on the bed and she huffed.

* * *

'Mellie, I don't think this is going to work.' Jake sighed and shook his head. He was standing outside of the gates to the ranch, pressing the button to try and be let in. He had been there for a while and hadn't had any luck with getting an answer. 'He may not even be here.'

'Jake stop all your damned whining and just go on with it!' Mellie scolded through the telephone. She was getting real sick and tired of Jake's whining and complaining. 'You have one simple job! Just do it!'

'I've been standing out here for like 15 minutes buzzing but I haven't gotten an answer! Even if he is at home then he obviously is ignoring me!' he tried to get her to understand.

'Jacob Ballard you need to stay out there until Fitz answers that damned gate! Don't fuck this up! I mean it!' she heard her dad calling her name and knew she needed to go tend to some customers. 'I have to go. Do as I say!'

She hung the phone up abruptly and Jake sighed and tried to buzz the gate again. Mayor Holland's wife always talks about having a 'woman's touch' around but if it meant dealing with being yelling at all the time then he wanted no part in it. He couldn't help but wonder if Olivia was as quick to anger as Mellie or if she was the type to yell and kick her feet around or if she just shut down when she got upset.

He knew Olivia didn't want him, she had made that very clear, but he still had a small sliver of hope. As long as there was breath in both of their bodies then he'd always have hope. He glanced down at his watch and knew that Fitz had to up by now and wondered what was taking him so long. He knew he couldn't go back to town without following through so he decided to just stick it out.

* * *

Fitz was cradling Olivia's body in his strong arms as she came down from her explosive orgasm. He had never seen her body tremble and shake so hard and he was a little worried but her breath was evening out now as she snuggled herself away in his chest, her face resting comfortably in his neck.

He rubbed comforting circles on her back and held her close to his body. 'You ok?'

'Yes.' she exhaled and nodded her head. 'That was.. Wow.'

He chuckled. After she caught her breath, Fitz helped her stand up to her feet so that she could go to the restroom and get cleaned up a little. He reached on the night stand and turned his phone back on and it immediately buzzed, telling him that somebody was still at the gate.

'I'm going to go take care of this person trying to get in. Why don't you hook the game up to the tv?' he called out to her as he made his way out of the bedroom.

'Hurry back.'

Fitz used his phone to open up the gate then made his way downstairs then walked out to the front porch. He figured that this must have been extremely important for the person to still be there. He took a seat in one of the rocking chairs and waited for the person to pull up.

Jake was extremely relieved when Fitz finally opened up the front gate. It was extremely hot outside and all he wanted to do was go back to the office and take a nap in one of the beds. He drove up the path to the house and both men rolled their eyes at each other.

Fitz rolled his eyes because he was extremely annoyed that Jake was at his house, especially while Olivia was there; and Jake rolled his eyes because Fitz was sitting shirtless on the front porch like he was some type of gift to the world.

Jake put on a fake smile as he got out of the car. 'Howdy, Fitz.' he half waved.

'Sheriff.' he acknowledged warily as he stood to his feet. 'What can I help you with today?'

'Well, I stopped by the bar earlier and James asked me to bring you your gifts from last night so you wouldn't have to come out on your birthday.' he said sweetly. He got the box of gifts from his backseat then started heading towards the front porch.

Fitz studied him for a moment, not believing the story, but let it go. 'Much obliged, Sheriff.'

'I can just set these inside for you.' Jake said as he stood by the front door.

'I believe I can take them from here.' Fitz said sternly, not even wanting him to lay eyes on Olivia. He knew she was supposed to be upstairs but he didn't want to risk it.

'Nonsense. It'll be no trouble at all.' he insisted.

Fitz sighed but opened the front door for him. If putting the gifts inside would make him leave faster then he'd cooperate. He watched as Jake carefully set the box near his desk in the corner of the living room and was prepared to say his goodbyes before he spoke again.

'So, how's Olivia?' Jake asked curiously as he scanned the room for any pictures of them together and any signs that she was there. He could faintly hear the sink on upstairs and assumed that that must've been her.

'She's fine.' he said, guarding his words. 'Jake, why are you really here?'

'I told you why I'm here.' he put his hands on his hips and his eyebrows furrowed. 'What are you, scared?'

'Scared?' he scoffed and crossed his arms. 'Scared of what?'

'Of a little competition.' he said matter of factly. 'You think that if she sees me that she may have a change of heart?'

'That's enough!' he hissed softly, not wanting to alert Olivia of their company. 'It's time for you to go.'

'You're scared!' he yelled.

Percy had been sitting in the living room playing with a toy. He didn't have much interest in Fitz or his company until Jake raised his voice. Before Jake could get another word out of his mouth, Percy was running over to the two men. He bit down hard on Jake's ankle as if he was able to protect Fitz from something.

'You little mutt.' Jake grunted as he pushed Percy off of his skin. He glanced back at Fitz then snarled. 'This isn't over. And I hope this thing has all its shots.' he stomped out of the house and slammed the door behind him.

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle. _Finally, somebody else feels my pain_. He walked over to where Percy was sitting and picked him up.

'You're not as bad as I thought, rat.'

Percy immediately nipped at Fitz's nose. He liked Fitz alright but **definitely** not enough for him to be handling him the way he was.

'Never mind. You're still an asshole.' his face crinkled and he put him back down on the floor.

Fitz walked over to the box where his gifts were and studied them for a moment. He had opened them all at the party last night but there was an unfamiliar one sitting on top. It was long and flat and inside of red and black lacy wrapping.

He picked it up and put it on his desk and curiously opened the wrapper. On the top was a note that said ' **From Millicent _Grant_ With Love** '. Fitz's nose crinkled but went to see what was in the box. On top was some sexy lingerie that smelled like the flowery perfume that she wore to church and at the bottom was a portrait of her wearing it. She was sitting up on a stool with her legs wide open and her fingers playing in her bra straps.

' **Gahhh!** ' Fitz yelped, immediately dropping the underwear and picture to the floor then wiping his hands off on his sweatpants.

'Fitz, cmon!' Olivia called out from upstairs. 'I have the game on and I'm ready to kick your ass!'

'I'm coming, little woman!' he called back, his voice slightly cracking. Not knowing what to do with this little 'gift', he threw it in his desk drawer. Olivia never messed around in his study and he knew he'd have time to burn it later.

He shook his head a few times, trying to get that image of Mellie out of his head, before going upstairs and taking them two at a time.

* * *

 ** _So this chapter was a lot longer that I originally expected. Like, it's crazy long. It's about 14,500 words, making it the longest chapter in the story. I have to check my temperature to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Obviously I've just gone crazy. With that being said, I need to take a short break. Not long at all but I need to recoop and update The Gray Area. The next chapter is going to be a short intermission where Fitz confronts Mellie and they discuss going to DC._**

 ** _Also, please excuse any typos or anything else. I've given myself a headache trying to edit and proofread._**

 ** _To answer a question that I get a lot, I'm not completely sure when Abbey is going to visit Knights Ferry. The chapters have 'skeletons' that I fill in as I go but I don't have anything planned. Hopefully when she gets there she wont fall for the Grant Man Charm. I hate to see friendships end over men._**

 ** _Now we see where Tiffany gets her attitude from. And we're going to meet all of Fitz's family after the intermission so just stick with me. As usual, please read and review. Tell me your favorite parts and what you think is going to happen next. I love reading reviews and I try my best to answer any questions that are PM'd/ reviewed/ Tweeted/ messaged on Tumblr._**

 ** _Until next time!_**


	14. Return To Sender (Intermission)

_This_ , was the definition of contentment. He wasn't exactly sure how he managed to go this long without it being like this but he had come to the simple conclusion that he was just existing before. Now, he was living. He found it almost comical that he had spent time mapping out his whole entire life and it looked nothing like the way he had planned. His plan had included throwing himself into his research and maybe getting married around the age of 50 or so but he couldn't even imagine doing that now.

Right now, he was contently laying on his stomach, his face buried in between the legs of the person who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was writhing and panting underneath him but he was holding her down to his bed. His whole birthday was spent cuddling, playing video games, eating, and having amazing sex. Mellie's gift was the furthest thing on his mind as Olivia's thighs squeezed down tightly on his head and the heels of her feet dug into his back. His hunger for this woman could never be satisfied.

' _Fuck, Fitz_.' she cried out as her fingers told hold of his curly locks of hair and tried pulling him off of her. She would have to spend the next week at her own house to recover from this birthday weekend.

He growled lowly before burying his face deeper in her pussy. He needed to go to bed soon to get ready for his morning chores but not before he pulled this last orgasm out of her. He was sure that he had probably overwhelmed her today but it was really only a preview into the rest of their lives together. He had always had all this love and affection to give but never anyone give it to. Now, he had _her_.

Her body began to tense up and her back arched off of the bed as she choked on the screams coming from her throat. She could feel a tear streaming down her cheek as her body gave into what seemed like her 100th orgasm of the day. She didn't know what it was that kept attracting Fitz's mouth down there but she obviously had the secrets of the universe tucked between her legs. Olivia's mind hazed for a moment as he licked and sucked at her arousal then began kissing up her naked body.

Fitz grinned as he took in the look of fatigue and satisfaction on her face. He kissed both of her cheeks repeatedly as he waited for her to come down from her high. His scalp was slightly stinging and he was sure she probably pulled a few hairs out but he didn't care. This was worth it.

'Wow.' she finally mumbled as she caught her breath.

'Wow?' he smirked as he hovered above her.

'Wow.' she nodded her head slightly before tilting her neck upward to take his mouth.

He smiled and kissed her softly but pulled away, suckling on her top lip as he did. 'Come away with me. I want us to go somewhere.'

Olivia smiled back at him, assuming that he just wanted to go to the next town over. It wasn't like him to want to leave the farm for too long. She draped her arms around his shoulders, allowing them to settle there. 'Where are we going, handsome?'

'To DC.' he kissed her lips again before she could respond. 'My mom wants me to come visit for a little while and I want to take you with me so you can meet them.'

She immediately frowned. 'Fitz, baby, I don't know about that one. I'm not really supposed to be in any big cities for a little while. I didn't want to be close to too many fans.'

'But I'm your biggest fan and you're around me all the time.' he playfully objected.

'You know what I mean.' she tilted her neck upwards and kissed his nose. 'Maybe some other time. DC is a big place and I really don't want to get harassed out there. My face is in the spotlight even more than usual now that pictures of me and my "mystery man" have been floating around.'

Fitz huffed and poked his bottom lip out cutely at her. It was a simple trick that she used on him all the time. 'But we'd just spend the whole time at home and the only fan you'll have to worry about there is Tiffany.' he reassured then glanced over at the clock, noting that it was 11:55. 'Plus, it's still my birthday and you told me I can get whatever I want.'

Olivia smirked. 'You've been getting whatever you want all day. I even let you beat me in Mario Kart.'

'I won that fair and square.' he said, his tone suddenly serious. Olivia had kicked his ass in all the games they played that day but he had managed to win one race. 'Please, Liv? It'll only be for a few days and I know they're dying to meet you.'

'But maybe we can all get together here in Knights Ferry.' she suggested, trying to ignore the pouty look on his face. 'There's plenty of space for them here.'

His nose crinkled at the thought of having his family invading his space and he quickly removed that idea from his head. It was no way his parents were going to leave DC for the holiday weekend and he imagined he would have to kill Teddy and Tiffany before their visit was over. 'Imagine it as a relaxing vacation away from town. We can drink lattes from Starbucks and actually eat real Chipotle instead of trying to use the online recipe.'

She sighed but smiled and shook her head. She had a feeling she was going to give in to his request. He worked hard to make sure she was happy so it wouldn't hurt her to sacrifice a little trip to DC. Olivia playfully covered her ears so she wouldn't have to hear him begging. 'If I drown you out for the next four minutes then it wont be your birthday anymore.'

'You wouldn't.' he gasped playfully before sitting up above her. 'Answer me, woman!' Fitz easily moved her hands back down to her sides.

Her eyes rolled but she nodded her head and laughed. 'Fine. I'll go with you to meet your family.'

'Damn, I wish it was my birthday everyday.' he grinned and rolled over, now laying on his back beside her. 'I'm going to call and tell her that you're coming. Her and Tiffany are going to have a fit.'

'Who's going to watch over the farm while you're gone?' she asked, reaching over to turn the lamp off on her side.

'Usually I fly my old friend Andrew in to cover for me but I'm sure he's going to be spending time with his family. I'll probably just as Max to come over and look after the animals and make sure the crops are watered.'

Olivia cocked her brow. 'Max? As in teenager Max? The kid?'

'Well, ya.' his shoulder shrugged slightly. 'He's basically a man by some standards. Besides, whats the most he could do to the farm? We'll be gone for no more than 5 days and I'm sure he'd like making a few extra dollars.'

'Mhhmm.' she hummed before rolling over, turning her back to him as he cuddled into her naked body. 'Just be sure he doesn't have Shay over here playing house.'

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what she said then his nostrils flared up. 'Liv thats gross. I'm going to have to lock up all the bedroom doors.'

'I hear barn sex is pretty appealing, too.' she simpered.

His nose crinkled and he made a mental note to lock up the barn doors, too. 'Go to sleep, little woman.'

She chuckled softly. 'I love you, old man.'

'I love you too, pervert.' he huffed and kissed her bare shoulder before burying his face in her skin.

* * *

Fitz woke up early the next morning to get his chores done. Much to his surprise, Olivia wasn't in bed beside him and he could hear her rustling around somewhere downstairs. She never got up this early and the thought of her being down there alone made his heart beat 10x faster. It was absolutely irrational to think that she would be messing with his research area but he jumped up anyway and ran through the hallway and down the stairs. He didn't want her anywhere near that desk right now.

Olivia was standing in the living room wearing nothing more than one of his t-shirts. Well, _her_ t-shirts. She never thought she'd be the type of girlfriend to steal all of her boyfriend's clothes but she couldn't help herself. They were comfortable and soft and most importantly they smelled like him. She had her back turned away from him and was scrolling through tv stations while drinking a glass of water. She had had a strange craving for chips so she had rolled out of bed to go get some from the kitchen and decided to see what was on while she drank her water.

'Olivia!' Fitz yelled loudly as soon as his foot touched the bottom step. He frantically looked around the space until he saw her on the other side of the room.

She yelped, startled, and dropped her glass on the hardwood floor. She knew he was going to be getting up soon but she definitely wasn't expecting him to be so loud. The glass broke into pieces as she turned around to face him. 'Why are you yelling? You scared the shit out of me!' she threw her hands in the air, frustrated.

'Sorry, sorry.' he said softly, realizing the mistake he'd made. The glass was now surrounding her bare feet and he knew she wouldn't be able to walk without getting some in her skin. 'I just wasn't expecting to see you down here this early. Why aren't you in bed?'

'I wanted a snack.' she huffed and crossed her arms, still coming down from the mini-heart attack he had given her.

Fitz grabbed his boots from the closet and put them on his feet. He walked over to where Olivia was standing and picked her up, carefully pushing her over his shoulder, and carried her over the glass. Once they were away from the broken shards, he set her back down and took in the frown she had on her face. He showered her face with soft kisses, muttering his apologies and rubbing soothing circles along her lower back and ass.

'Don't start anything you can't finish, Dr. Grant.' she mumbled as he squeezed her plump bottom.

'I always finish what I start.' he said with conviction. 'But I do need to get going so we can get to church on time.'

She sighed. 'I'm going to clean this up and go back to bed.' Olivia rose to the tips of her toes and placed a small kiss on his lips. 'I'll see you in a bit, ok?'

'Okay.' he smiled and nodded his head and watched as she walked into the kitchen to get the broom and dustpan.

Quickly and quietly, he went over to his desk on the other side of the room and got the box with Mellie's gift out. He took it outside with him and hid it underneath the tarp sitting in the back of his truck. He had made the decision to return it to her instead of just burning it with the trash. Fitz knew that she would be at church later on that morning but that hardly seemed like the time or place. He didn't want her to get upset or blow up in front of everybody, _especially_ not Olivia.

He knew that she would want to kill him if she knew he was hiding something like this. Hell, he would want to know if Jake was sending her nude photos and underwear— but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He could handle Mellie and her shenanigans himself. It was a problem that he had way before Olivia came to Knights Ferry and it should've already been handled.

* * *

 **7pm**

Jame's Place didn't get much business on Sunday nights. These were the night reserved mostly for family time for the people of Knights Ferry. The kids worked on their homework, the adults got ready for the work week ahead of them, and the town was mostly quiet. James, though, always opened the bar. There was nobody there except him and Mellie but it proved as great bonding time for them. They would work on new recipes or just sit back and talk about all the things they wanted to do together.

The bar didn't bring in a lot of money. They lived comfortably, sure, but there had been times where they had just made it just on a prayer. The two of them could sit and talk for hours about all the countries they wanted to visit and all the things they wanted to buy but they both knew they'd probably never make it out of that town.

In a way, Fitz was her only hope of getting out of the cycle she was in. She didn't have any skills that she felt she could take out into the real world so it seemed as if staying behind the counter was all she could do. She wished she had had the confidence to leave town and go to college but at the time, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Being in Knights Ferry with her dad was something comfortable and familiar and she didn't want to leave.

But now, she was **stuck**.

Her infatuation with Fitz was a mixture of attraction and envy. She used to love when he would come and visit his grandfather during his summer vacations. He would sit around and tell them all stories about riding the Metro to school everyday, having a maid come and clean their house, or his weekend trips to New York that he often took with his family. All the kids in town would ask him questions about his everyday life and while he didn't really like having all of the attention, he would oblige them nonetheless.

She in particular was very interested in everything he had to say. She was able to hang onto every word that came out of his mouth and watch in awe the entire time. Whenever the kids would get together to play a game, she always wanted to be on his team. If they couldn't be on the same team then she always found a way to help his team win. It was a terrible case of one-sided puppy love because Fitz had no interest in anything except playing and cows at the time.

It was after his first summer in town that Mellie became determined to have him. While leaving her father behind was never something she wanted to do, she'd be willing if it meant living the life she had always wanted. She was no more than 7 when they first met but, just like the other little girls in town, she was ready to leave town and follow him back to DC. She could always imagine herself sipping cocktails on a rooftop pool like she saw on television.

When Fitz officially moved to Knights Ferry she was a bit angry with him. She was completely miserable there and wanted to leave while he was choosing to come back and work with animals. He had the chance to live the life that most people in town could only dream of and yet he was taking it for granted. What made it even worse was that he wasn't interested in dating anyone. She wanted him, _badly_ , but he wouldn't even look her way. This made it hurt even more when Olivia came into the bar and stole him in front of her face.

'I saw some pictures the other day on my Facebook of this lady riding a dolphin. I think I'd want to try that someday.' she said softly and took a sip of her beer as she sat across the table from her father.

James smiled sincerely at her. 'I heard of something like that. That sounds fun. I saw some guys doing some pretty neat tricks on some drums. They had lights going everywhere and they were dancing and singing. It looked really amazing.'

Mellie's head cocked to the side curiously. 'Really? Do you remember their names? I think I'd like to see something like that.'

His face scrunched up as he tried to remember. 'Not really. All I remember is that they were covered in all this blue paint. They looked like aliens.' he chuckled and shook his head at the silliness. 'Maybe something like the Blue Boys or something like that.'

Before she could respond, the front door of the bar opened. Her eyes lit up as she saw Fitz make his way inside the bar with his hands behind his back. She definitely hadn't been expecting him to come in tonight so this was a pleasant surprise for her. He was wearing a pair of work jeans and a henley t-shirts so she could only assume that he had just gotten done with some chores. She stood to her feet as the excitement ran through her body. 'Hey, Fitz!'

Fitz gave her a tight-lipped smile. He had been debating what his next move would be all day but he knew that this was for the best. He was supposed to be out in the field doing some chores and collecting fur samples but he needed to get this out of the way first. 'James, Mel.' he said softly, nodding his head at them. 'How are you two doing tonight?'

'Mighty fine over here, Dr. Grant.' James grinned. 'What brings you in this late? Why don't I pour you up a drink and you can join in on the fun?'

'No thanks.' he shook his head. 'I actually came to talk to Mellie.'

James raised his eyebrows then glanced at Mellie, then back at Fitz. It was no secret that Fitz wasn't very fond of his daughter but he had long since let it go. Everybody in town knew that he and Olivia were very much two people in love so he had a good feeling what this conversation was going to be about. Fitz was going to have to finally put his foot down with her. James sighed as he thought about how upset his little girl would be tonight but this was for the best. It was time for her to move on and find a herself a husband and chasing after Fitz was a waste of her time.

Mellie's facial expression perked up. 'Alright. That's fine.'

James shook his head and picked their glasses up before heading back into the kitchen. 'I'll give you two some privacy.'

Fitz smiled and nodded his head in his direction, waiting until he was out of earshot to join Mellie at the table that they were previously sitting at. He brought his hands from behind his back and placed the box that had Mellie's gift in it in front of him then removed his baseball cap. He wanted to make this as brief as possible.

'So what'd you need to talk to me about, sugar?' Mellie asked as she sat in her seat, grinning like the cheshire cat. 'I see you go your gift.' she gestured to the box.

'Mel, you've got to stop this. I'm not your sugar, you're not Mrs. Grant. This is getting way too out of hand.' he said seriously, pushing the box towards her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. It was probably her optimistic spirit that made her believe that Fitz had finally come to his senses about them being together so this definitely caught her off guard. 'E— Excuse me?'

'You're being disrespectful, Mellie. I'm in a relationship with Olivia and we're happy together. She makes me happy. Why don't you see that?'

'Weren't you happy before her? You seemed just fine until she came into town a few months ago.' she said, cutting her eyes at him.

'Actually, I don't think I was.' his shoulders shrugged. 'And I'm not sure what you thought that 'gift' was going to do but it didn't work. I'm not giving up my relationship over a pair of underwear. This has to end. Today. I can't play this little game with you anymore. You and your lackey need to back off.'

Her eyebrow cocked. 'What lackey?'

'Don't play dumb with me, Mellie.' he rolled his eyes. 'I may not be able to prove that you've been working with Jake to try and sabotage my relationship but I'd bet my farm on it. He's become a physical threat and I've already decided I'm going to lay hands on him if he comes near Olivia again.'

'Are you serious right now? Fitz I've been trying to get you to see me since we were kids and Olivia rolls into town and all of a sudden you're so devoted? This isn't fair!' she hissed, pushing the box back towards him.

'What's not fair is that you keep on chasing after me!' he hadn't planned on yelling at her but she obviously wasn't understanding. 'It's not fair to me, it's not fair to Olivia, and it's definitely not fair to yourself. You need to find somebody that wants you for you. I did.' he said firmly. 'I love her more than anything in the world.'

'You love her? Wow, that's something.' she crossed her arms across her chest. 'She's barely been here 3 months and now all of a sudden you're in love? Get a grip, Fitz!'

'Mellie do **not** question my affection for her. Olivia is going to be my wife someday and we're going to be together whether you like that or not. This is your official warning to stop contacting me and to trying to mess with what I have going on.' he said, trying to analyze her facial expression and hoping he was getting through to her.

'Excuse me?' her bottom lip fell open. 'So I'm not allowed to speak to you anymore? Do you not trust yourself to talk to me? Afraid you may be tempted?' she spat, purposely egging him on.

Fitz sighed and stood up from his seat, putting his cap back on his head. He felt like he was talking to a brick wall trying to get his point across to her and she was obviously just trying to get a reaction out of him. 'I hope we can move past this. Goodnight, Mel. Night, James!' he called out loud enough so that he could be heard in the kitchen.

'Fitzgerald if you walk out of here then I'm going to make it my life's mission to break you both apart.' she hopped up from her seat, trying to say something that would stop him from leaving. 'I'm going to take away the thing you love the most! You mark my words!' her foot stomped against the wood floors.

Fitz rolled his eyes and shook his head but walked right through the front door and out to his truck. He was confident that there was nothing in the world Mellie could do that would break them apart. He could only hope that she stopped meddling in their lives and that they could all move forward.

Once he made it back to the farm, he breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his chest now that that had been taken care of. He couldn't wait to crawl back into bed with her for the rest of the night and talk about their upcoming trip to DC. With everything that had been going on, it would be nice to get out of Knights Ferry for a little while.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sooo, it's been a little over a month. I didn't mean for it to be that long (sorry) but writer's block got me. Also, I haven't been very inspired with this story lately. Maybe it'll start coming back to me soon.**_

 _ **This was just a short intermission. Next chapter they'll go to DC to meet all of Fitz's family and spend the 4th of July with them.**_

 _ **We won't be seeing too much of Mellie or Jake anymore. I'm going to start shifting my focus towards Olivia's family and friends soon and we'll explore more into her background and why she is the way she is. Thank you for sticking with me, thank you for your patience, and thank you all for supporting my other stories. It really means a lot! As usual read and review. Until next time!**_


	15. Coming Home

**NSFW**

* * *

'Max I'm serious!' Fitz hissed as he slung Olivia's rose gold bag over his shoulder. 'No funny business while we're gone. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms but no company over while I'm away.' he repeated for the 1,000th time in the last hour. They were getting ready to head for the airport but he wanted to be sure that the rules were clear.

Usually he wouldn't be this hard on Max but he was having an absolutely terrible morning. He had gotten up early to do some work with the animals and take some notes on the soil levels in the greenhouse but he couldn't fall back asleep after that. His eyes were red and he knew he wouldn't be getting any rest anytime soon.

Olivia had somehow persuaded him that flying to DC would be a better option than driving. He wasn't too proud to admit that flying absolutely terrified him and this would be his first time ever even stepping foot on a plane. It seemed childish but he didn't think he had been more afraid of anything in his life.

'I got it Dr. G.' Max said, nodding his head patiently. He wasn't sure what had Fitz so on edge but it didn't bother him. 'I wrote everything down in my notebook and Miss Pope left a chore chart thing on the fridge.'

Fitz sighed but smiled lightly. Leave it to Olivia to do something as thoughtful as that without him even asking. He gestured over to Percy who was sitting in the corner of the room in his kennel with a blanket over it. 'Percy is a little bitch. Don't trust him.' he said bluntly but honestly. The two of them still weren't getting along too well and he could've sworn that he had purposely pooped in his church shoes the other night.

Max's eyebrows raised as he glanced over at the sleeping dog. 'That little puppy over there? I think I can handle him, Doc.'

'Just trust me on this, Max.' he looked at him seriously. 'The only person that rat likes is Olivia. He's going to cry and bite when he wakes up and realizes that she's gone. Just watch out for him. She will literally kill us all if something happened to him while we're away.'

His shoulders shrugged nonchalantly but he nodded his head. 'You got it.'

'Alright.' he said, doing another quick glance around the house to make sure he had everything. This would be the first time he'd be leaving the immediate area in a while and he was feeling a bit jittery still. 'I'll see you when I get back.'

Max stood at attention and dramatically saluted him as Fitz walked out of the front door. As soon as it shut, he ran to the porch to watch him drive up the driveway and down the long path to the gates. After 5 minutes, he grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and called Hooter.

'Is he gone?' Hooter asked in a whisper as if Fitz could hear what he was saying.

'He just pulled out of the driveway.' he said proudly, a smile forming on his face. 'Their flight leaves in like 4 hours so they have to go ahead and get on the road if they're going to make it. Did you get the stuff?'

'Ya, dude.' he confirmed as he glanced over at the weed laying on his dresser. He was the only one of them that smoked on a regular basis and had access to a dealer so when they found out Fitz was going to be gone for a while he was the one to go buy them a few baggies. 'Let's wait another like 30 minutes then I'll get my dad's van and pick everybody up and we'll come to the ranch.'

'Perfect. See you then.' he grinned then hung the phone up then walked over to the surround sound system that Fitz had set up.

This was going to be an interesting vacation for all of them.

* * *

Fitz pulled up to Olivia's house around 4am. She was going to have to try and get some work done during the trip so she had spent the night at her house to get her laptop and notes together so she could work on the plane. She came out the door with her backpack on her back and her purse hitched on her shoulder. She thought about making them both a cup of coffee but she knew Fitz hadn't slept all night so that wouldn't have been the best idea.

She opened the passenger side door and got in and leaned over the center console to kiss his cheek. 'Good morning, sunshine.'

Olivia involuntarily frowned as she took in how tired and worn down he looked. She had never seen so many bags under his eyes and his skin was a little pale. She reached over and lightly rubbed his knee in a show of silent support.

'Good morning.' he murmured as he patted her hand gently then backed out of the driveway. 'Are you sure you don't want to drive to DC? It's not too late.' he said hopefully.

'Babe, that's a 45 hour trip.' her head shook. 'I promise flying isn't as bad as you think. If you absolutely hate it then we can drive back to California. I promise.'

He sighed but nodded his head and started on the road towards Sacramento. He was trying his absolute best to keep his hands from shaking but it was hard. Just thinking about being up in the air was making him sweat. The only experience he had with flying was what he had seen on television and the occasional times he had to pick somebody up from the airport.

During the summers when he would visit his grandfather in California they always drove. Fitzgerald I would always say that men weren't meant to fly in the air like birds and that anybody who did would probably die. Obviously he didn't believe that flying as an automatic death sentence but it sure didn't help his fear.

'So what exactly does turbulence feel like?' he asked after 30 minutes in their drive. Sacramento was about 2 hours with traffic but since there was no one on the roads they were making great time. He had spent last night looking up different aviation terms and the words 'turbulence' and 'crash' scared him the most.

'Um,' Olivia thought for a moment, trying to explain the sensation as calmly as possible. 'kinda like bumps that you hit in the street but you don't have to worry about that. It's a clear day and we probably won't run into anything like that. We're going to have a nice meal and cuddle in our seats while we watch a movie.' she said with a smile as she reached over to gently rub his arm, her nails lightly scratching the hair there.

'I'm sorry I'm acting like this.' he sighed. 'I was already a little anxious about seeing my family and it's not making it any better knowing that I'm going to be up in the air going 300 miles an hour.'

'You don't have to apologize for showing me how you feel.' she said reassuringly. 'Thank you for sacrificing and flying. I'm honored to be the first person you fly with.'

'I just feel like I'm being a big baby about it.' he grumbled. 'Plenty of people fly everyday, right? And they land and they're fine.' he said trying to reassure himself more than her at that point.

'Of course, sweetheart. It'll be fine.' she smiled and sat back in her seat. She wasn't used to seeing Fitz this vulnerable about anything so this was a strange new territory for their relationship.

He shot her a weak smile as he sunk further into his seat. The rest of the drive went by relatively quickly and they were pulling up to the airport in no time. He parked the truck and they grabbed their bags and headed towards the front doors. The airport was bustling with people going back and fourth and Fitz definitely felt out of his comfort zone.

Even though he had grown up in DC, he had been in Knights Ferry for the past few years. The only reason he ever left town was to go to a store but he'd always just come right back. Their airport was crowded with people in business suits on cellphones and families navigating through the walkways. The holiday weekend was bringing extra people to the area and he was glad that she was there to help them navigate to the right area.

Olivia reached out and took his hand and squeezed it tightly as they walked. It took a few minutes to turn their bags in and go through the TSA screenings but soon they were walking towards their terminal. Fitz couldn't help but look around curiously as they passed through a few retail stores.

'It's like a little city in here.' he mumbled softly. 'There's a train, too?'

She nodded her head and opened her mouth to respond when the bright flash of a camera went off in her face. Olivia quickly moved her hands to her eyes to help shield the light away and groaned as she realized that they must have been spotted. It had been so easy being treated like a 'normal' person in Knights Ferry, she had almost forgotten that she was one of the most sought after writers in America at the time.

Fitz's nostrils flared and his jaw clenched as he caught eyes with the man who had just snapped a picture of them. Usually at a time like this he would let his temper get the best of him and go confront the man himself but he wanted to make sure Olivia was alright first. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his body shielding her away from too many prying eyes, as they made their way to their terminal.

The walk to the boarding area was a blur for both of them. They had kept their heads down low and walked quickly, avoiding any contact with a stray fan or camera. After seeing their struggle, the flight crew allowed them to board early and get settled into their seats and Olivia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. While she didn't necessarily enjoy being followed she knew it was just a part of the business. She was way more worried about Fitz and how he was handling the stress of the morning. She was now feeling a little selfish for refusing his road trip idea but a 45 hour drive didn't seem like a good plan, either.

They both sat back in their seats in First Class and the stewardess brought around a drink menu and 2 complimentary blankets. The rest of the passengers wouldn't be boarding for another 15 minutes so that gave them a few moments to themselves. Olivia unwrapped her cover and draped it over her shoulders then looked over to Fitz who was now squeezing the arm rest tightly, his knuckles turning white. She couldn't tell if he was nervous about the flight or just upset over what had just transpired in the airport.

'Fitz—' she said softly, trying to get his attention. He was looking straight forward to the seat in front of him so she lightly tapped his clenched hand.

'You need a bodyguard.' he said, his voice full of finality. His mind had been racing since he sat down in his seat and all he could imagine was his Livvie walking through that huge crowd of people by herself with cameras flashing in her face and people trying to grab and talk to her. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

'I've never had a bodyguard before.' she mumbled. 'I think people were just a little hyped to see me after so many months. This doesn't usually happen.'

He shook his head, barely listening to a word she had said. 'I'm not compromising this. From now on if you go to a large city and I can't be there then somebody needs to be with you.'

Olivia raised her eyebrows. 'So you're demanding I get some type of babysitter? I'm an adult, Fitz, and I can make my own decisions.'

Fitz could tell he was making her upset but he didn't care. He'd argue with her until he was blue in the face if it meant that he got his way this time. 'You can call it what you want but I'm letting you know what's about the happen.'

She scoffed and sat back in her seat, her arms folded across her chest. She really didn't want to start anything with him this morning before their flight took off so she would let it go until they made it back to Knights Ferry.

* * *

By dinner time they had landed in Washington - Reagan International Airport and Fitz would've kissed the ground if they weren't in such a rush trying to get off of the plane. They ended up running into a thunder storm halfway there and he didn't think he had ever been so terrified in his life. He was trying to put on a brave face for her sake but it hadn't really worked.

Olivia had been working on a new chapter of her book when she realized that they were running into an unexpected storm. Even though she was mad enough to strangle him, she put her laptop away and raised the armrest between their seats. She scooted her body closer to his and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder and laying light kisses there. The experience was enough to freak anybody out and she hated that he had to endure it on his first flight.

Fitz could only sigh and sit back in his seat before ordering himself another drink. He was definitely going to need it to endure the rest of that trip. They fell asleep in each other's embrace so the second half of the flight was no where near as bad as the first.

After getting off the plane they went to grab their luggage from the baggage claim and Olivia kept her head down low as they walked. She didn't want to bring any more attention to herself than necessary. Their large rolling bags came down first and Fitz grabbed them both as they started walking outside. The house wasn't too far off from the airport and she was just going to order an Uber for them to ride in.

Before she could open her phone they spotted a man in all black holding a sign up with both of their names on it. Fitz could only roll his eyes and he realized that his mother must have sent a car for them. She had been nothing but a ball of excitement since he confirmed that they were coming for the holiday and she wanted everything to be 'absolutely sensational'.

'I think we already have a ride.' he said, gesturing over to the man who was standing in front of a black town car with dark tinted windows.

The older gentleman helped Fitz get their bags into the trunk of the car and they started on their way towards the house. For years his family stayed in the outskirts of DC and just commuted by train to go to school and work but because of recent renovations to the city they bought a home on Capitol Hill. It wasn't as big as their place in Virginia but the 2.5 million dollar property was 'classic meets contemporary', or so his mother justified. Fitz personally didn't like the idea of being in the middle of busy DC so his move to California came right on time.

He rubbed his tired eyes and looked out the window, trying to gather his surroundings and take in familiar sights. It seemed like the only thing that stayed the same was the fact that everybody seemed so busy. His nose slightly crinkled at the thought of actually having to live there but he quickly shook that out of his head. They'd be back in Knights Ferry in a few more days and that was really his only concern.

Fitz sat back in his seat and looked over to Olivia who was turned away from him. He knew he had upset her earlier that day and he felt like a complete ass for speaking to her the way he did but just the thought of some dirty reporter harming her made him uncomfortable. Maybe she was used to seeing people act like that but he wasn't and he felt that she was taking the situation too lightly. He slowly reached over to her and placed his hand on her thigh to grab her attention and was surprised when he was met with a soft smile.

'Livvie.' he said lowly, now rubbing up and down her thigh. 'You okay?'

'I'm fine.' she said then yawned softly. 'Long flights are just kind of tough. I think we both just need to get some sleep after dinner.'

'I agree.' he nodded his head but wanted to change the subject. They could talk about everything else later. 'Everybody has been calling me all week talking about how excited they are to finally meet you.'

She giggled softly. 'Tiffany sent me a very long email last week with an agenda of things she wants to do and questions that she wants to ask me. I don't know how much rest I'll be getting.'

'Hey, hey.' he said, his tone now serious. 'Don't let them overwhelm you. I know they can be a handful at times and I don't want them thinking they should treat you any differently because you write. I want you to be apart of the family, not some random celebrity.'

'It's alright.' she shook her head and leaned towards him, allowing her left hand to cup his cheek before she pressed her lips against his. 'I'm sure they're not that bad. Once they get warmed up to me then they'll just see me as a regular person. It's normal to be a little star struck at first.'

'I know.' he sighed. 'But I want you to promise me that you'll say something if you start to feel uncomfortable. My dad and Teddy probably won't say much to you but I can already imagine the list of inappropriate things my mother has to say.'

Olivia smirked. 'Fitz I think I can handle anything that your mother has to say. And if I cant then—'

'Then you'll tell me and I'll make them back off.' he said, finishing her statement.

'I really don't think your family is going to be that bad.' she giggled and shook her head before sitting back in her seat. 'Just relax. I'm sure we're going to have a great trip.'

No more than 10 minutes later the car pulled into the crowded street that the house was situated on. Unlike the other town homes on the block, the Grant household was detached and had its own black iron fence around it. It was one of the older homes on the block and had been very nicely preserved. The panels were all white and was complimented by a black rooftop and a plain red door. The house had a small brick driveway attached to the side and a lush green front yard that was obviously kept by professional gardeners. Fitz nearly rolled his eyes as he remembered how extravagant the home was. His whole entire property in California was probably worth just as much as this 5 bedroom home.

The driver parked the car and unlocked the backseat doors so that they could get out. He offered to take their bags inside but Fitz insisted that he could handle them and grabbed both of their rolling suitcases out of the trunk while Olivia carried her backpack.

They walked to the front door and before Fitz could get his key out of his pocket the door flung open, nearly hitting him in the head. Standing on the other side was a young man dressed in black slacks and a white button down shirt. His hair was neatly slicked back and he stood up straight as if he had some type of pole in his spine. He cleared his throat loudly.

'Good evening Thomas and Olivia.' he took a step to the side so that they could walk in. 'I've been instructed to take your bags up to your room and to not take no for an answer.'

Fitz rolled his eyes but decided to let it go and handed their bags over. He never liked the idea of people doing things for him that he could do himself but he knew that this was going to be a week of compromise. Olivia gave him the backpack off of her back and watched as he walked up the stairs, struggling to carry them all.

'Is that one of the butlers?' she asked, now looking around the foyer and taking in the luxurious decor.

'No.' his nose crinkled. 'That was my brother Teddy. He's usually not this friendly towards anybody and hell must be freezing over if he's actually doing something nice for somebody else.'

Olivia snickered and reached to take his hand. 'People change, Fitz.'

'Ya they do.' he nodded his head and intertwined their fingers and he began leading her into the kitchen area where he knew his mother would be. 'But not Teddy. He's up to something. I can just feel it in my bones.'

'Is it that or is it the arthritis? You know you're getting old.' she said lowly, teasing him.

Fitz gasped and held onto his chest, feigning hurt. He stopped walking and pulled her body flush against his, taking in her beautiful features as she giggled. 'You're just about the meanest little woman I know. You just hurt my feelings.'

'All I did was ask a simple question.' she said coyly.

He leaned down to her ear and spoke lowly. 'Do you remember what happened last time you were mean to me?'

She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. 'I was punished.'

'Mmhmm.' he hummed then lowered his hands, cupping her ass in his palms.

Olivia giggled and squirmed in his arms. She definitely didn't want to be caught by anyone in the house with Fitz's hands on her behind. She wanted to make a good first impression and he wasn't helping. 'Stop, Fitz. Your family is going to see us.' she lightly scolded.

'Well, let's go upstairs and hide in the bedroom for a little while.' he said suggestively before nipping at her earlobe.

'No.' she said through her laughter as he started laying kisses down the flesh of her neck. 'Your mom is expecting us for dinner.'

'She doesn't even know we're here yet.' he mumbled. 'And it wont take long. I can be quick.'

Her eyes rolled playfully as she tried pushing his arms off her body. 'Fitzgerald Grant you're acting like some horny teenager.'

'Thommasssss!' they heard somebody yell in a singsong way, their voice echoing against the high ceilings and marble floors. It was accompanied by rapid footsteps and they knew somebody was coming in their direction.

He sighed and let Olivia go and stood up straight. He'd let her go for now but as soon as dinner was over she'd be all his. He put one arm around her waist, holding her close to him as his mother made her way to the foyer. It had been almost 4 years since he had actually laid eyes on her but she hadn't changed a bit.

Angenette Grant, or Angie as she had been affectionately nicknamed, was a short woman with a round shape (that she blamed on her 3 children), her curly brown hair was long and thick but she kept it maintained in a neat braid and her face was riddled with laugh lines. She was an extremely cheery person and Fitz could've sworn that she spent her whole life smiling because she always got her way.

'Hi, mom.' his lips curled into a smile as he reached out to give her a hug.

Angie flung herself into her son's arms, standing on the tips of her toes so that she could pepper his face with kisses. Fitz had never been the type to show too much affection but she didn't care. She had missed him terribly over the past few years and she only had a few days to catch up on all the lost hugs and kisses. She realized that Fitz was now a grown man but he'd always be her little Tommy.

Fitz crinkled his nose but stood still while his mother put her lips all over his face. He could hear Olivia giggle beside him and could tell she was very amused by the sight before her. Angie took both of her hands and cupped his face, pulling and pinching his cheeks and rubbing all over his skin.

'What are you doing?' he questioned as she moved to rub his eyelashes.

She sniffled, a dramatic tear nearly rolling down her face. 'I'm just making sure it's still you, Tommy. When did you get all these muscles?'

He smirked and rolled his eyes then took hold of her wrists. 'Yes, its still me. I want to introduce you to Olivia.' he said, gesturing over to where she was standing.

Olivia smiled and stepped towards them, clasping her hands together in front of her body. 'It's nice to meet you Mrs. Grant. Fitz—'

Before she could get another word out, Angie pounced on her, binding her in a soul crushing hug. 'Mrs. Grant was my mother-in-law. Please call me mom. We're family now.'

She hesitantly moved her arms around her body to hug her but nodded her head. 'Alright, mom.' Olivia mumbled, trying to get used to letting the word roll out of her mouth.

Angie smiled brightly and pulled away from her embrace, taking hold of her shoulders so that she could get a good look at her face. 'You are so beautiful.' she gushed then turned to Fitz. 'How in the world did you manage to get somebody as stunning as this to want you?'

Fitz chuckled and rubbed the back of his head a little bashfully. 'I guess she sees past my looks, ma.'

'And in that old hick town.' her nose crinkled. 'I don't understand why anybody in the world would willingly live there. What in the world do you see appealing about Knights Ferry?'

'Well,' Olivia smiled softly and shot a knowing glance over at Fitz. 'I didn't really like living there at first but I think I just found something worth staying for.'

The small gesture between the two of them wasn't lost on Angie and she had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming at how cute they were. She took a small deep breath to calm herself down then let go of Olivia's shoulders. Her voice croaked as she spoke. 'I see. Let's go to the dining room and eat and then you kids can go off to bed. I'm sure you're tired after your flight.'

'Thanks, mom.' he smiled and nodded in his mother's direction then took Olivia's hand in his as they followed her down the hall. 'You know you don't have to call her mom if you don't want to.' he whispered down to her as they walked.

'I don't really mind.' she shrugged her shoulders. 'It just caught me off guard.'

'I think she likes you.' he joked, holding back a chuckle.

'I think she does, too.' she held her hand over her face to keep her giggle in.

The Grant's informal dining room was large and had a contemporary design to it. The glass table was surrounded by 10 white cushioned seats and had a gray rug underneath it. A large floral centerpiece was situated on top and the walls had large windows to help bring in the natural light from outside. Angie walked over to the intercom system on the wall then pressed the button, alerting the house that dinner was about to be served.

'Your father wont make it to dinner tonight. His flight from Minnesota was cancelled so he had to get a hotel there.' her nose crinkled. 'What a dreadful place to be stuck in.'

Fitz simply shrugged his shoulders then pulled out a chair for Olivia to sit in. His father was probably the most mellow of them all but he had always had a problem with his decision to move to Knights Ferry and work on his grandfather's farm. If he could go an extra night without his unwanted criticism then it was a good thing to him.

'Thank you, sweetie.' Olivia smiled and kissed his cheek before sitting down in her seat.

'You two are so cute!' Angie gushed and pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and began taking pictures of them. 'I could just gobble you both up!'

He rolled his eyes but decided not to comment. Before he could take a seat, Teddy made his way into the dining room with an unlit cigar in between his fingers. He walked over to where Fitz was standing and held his hand out to him. 'Thomas. It's so very nice to see you again. What has it been? 4 years?'

Fitz cocked an eyebrow but shook his brother's hand. 'What in the world has gotten into you, Teddy?'

'Actually I prefer the name Theodore now.' he said matter of factly. 'I'm above silly nicknames.' he waved Fitz off then walked over to where Olivia was sitting. He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. 'And it's very nice to meet you, Miss Pope. I've heard very lovely things about you.'

Olivia held back a giggle. She knew Teddy was no more than 19 so it was almost comical to see him behave this way. 'Likewise, Theodore.'

Fitz rolled his eyes again and shook Teddy's actions off. Honestly he was proud of his family so far. They had been on their best behavior for the past 20 minutes so he was a little optimistic about the rest of the trip.

After Teddy took his seat across from Olivia they heard somebody running through the hall to the dining room. A small smile formed on his face as he realized that it must have been Tiffany running to greet him. As much as his little sister annoyed him she was definitely his favorite person in the family. When he didn't want to absolutely strangle her he actually found her eccentricity a bit charming.

Within the next few seconds Tiffany was running into the room with her arms wide open and Fitz could've melted. She looked so different from the last time he saw her. She had bleached her usually brown, curly hair and it was now blonde and wavy, she spent a lot of time in the gym perfecting her 'beach body' and she looked more like a young woman than the party girl that he had left behind.

Fitz opened his arms to catch her and couldn't help but remember all the times she had jumped on him whenever they saw each other. He braced himself and took a few steps closer to embrace her but Tiffany ran straight past him. His jaw dropped as he watched his little sister run straight to Olivia and nearly fling herself into her lap.

'You're here! Oh my gosh I cant believe you're finally here!' Tiffany gushed as she hugged Olivia's shoulders.

He frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. 'Tiff, get off of her.'

She completely ignored Fitz's complaints. 'Olivia how was your flight? Can I call you Olivia? Or do you like Miss Pope? Or do you go by Carolyn?' she inquired rapidly.

Olivia smirked at her excitement but really expected nothing less. 'Olivia is fine. It's very nice to meet you, Tiffany.'

Tiffany gasped. 'You actually remembered my name? I can't believe I get to call you Olivia. You're actually spending the night in my house! Down the hall from me!'

She snorted. 'Why wouldn't I remember your name?'

Fitz walked over to where they were sitting and picked Tiffany up out of Olivia's lap. 'That's quite enough of that. Olivia is family, not somebody to be gawked over.' he scolded lightly, his pride hurt after being completely ignored.

Tiffany huffed. 'I wasn't gawking, Thomas. I was admiring.' she said defensively.

'Ya, ya.' he grunted. 'Am I going to get a hug or am I just trash to be tossed to the side?'

'Trash, basically.' she said unapologetically.

'Tiffany!' Angie scolded before taking her seat at the head of the table. 'Hug your brother.'

Tiffany groaned dramatically before quickly hugging Fitz and letting go. She tried to wiggle her way into sitting beside Olivia but he quickly brushed that idea out of her head by taking the seat instead. He didn't want her pouncing on her again while they ate and the only way he could ensure that was if he sat between them.

A few minutes passed and the hired kitchen staff brought out a dinner of grilled chicken and sautéed vegetables. Tiffany made sure to let everyone working that night that it was one of Olivia's favorite meals so they made sure to make it for their first night there. Teddy reached across the table and insisted on saying grace over the food before they started eating.

'What's gotten into Teddy?' Fitz whispered to Tiffany as he watched his teenaged brother fold a napkin and sit it in his lap.

'He thinks that if he acts more mature then you'll be willing to let him come back to California with you.' she whispered back, brushing his question off as she turned her attention back to Olivia.

Fitz's nose crinkled at the thought. He was hoping he had squashed that request with a firm 'no' a few months ago but apparently Teddy still had some hope. He always preferred having his own place back in Knights Ferry and he didn't like the idea of having to share it. Olivia had all but moved in with him and they were still getting used to just being there together. He didn't need his little brother imposing on their personal space.

'So I know Tommy told me not to ask this but—' Angie started as she worked on cutting her chicken.

His nostrils flared as he imagined what was about to come out his mother's mouth. 'Mom, don't do it.'

She brushed his comment off and continued. 'Olivia, when do you two plan on giving me some grand babies?'

Olivia nearly choked on the water she was drinking and quickly put her glass down to try and recover. Fitz reached over and lightly rubbed her back then shot his mother a look. 'I thought we said we weren't going to talk about that.' he reminded.

'I know but it's really been eating away at me.' she said pitifully. 'So do you all think within the next year or so that we'll be expecting baby number one?' she asked hopefully.

'We um,' Olivia mumbled, trying to get her words together. 'we haven't discussed a timeline. We're just taking it one day at a time and doing what we think is right as we go.' she said, hoping that the subject would change.

Fitz nodded his head in agreement and lightly rubbed her knee, a silent show of support. 'Exactly.'

'Well, I personally can not wait until you have my grand daughter. I've actually been looking at what nursery colors best help with infant cognitive skills.' she said sounding extremely proud of herself.

'Grand daughter?' Olivia asked, now slightly smirking.

'Why don't we change the subject?' Fitz interjected. 'Tiffany how is that book club going?'

* * *

The rest of dinner with on without a hitch and while the rest of the family decided to watch a movie in the basement's theater, Fitz and Olivia retired to their bedroom. He had only spent a year or so living there but it was lightly decorated with some of his old mementos including a few ribbons he had won at county fairs he participated in. It was the second biggest room in the house, the first being his parents master bedroom, and it overlooked the large backyard. The king sized bed sat in the middle of the bedroom with a dark blue Tommy Hilfiger comforter on top. Angie had put a few snacks on the counter so they wouldn't have to come all the way downstairs if they got hungry and Teddy had tried his best to drag their luggage into the walk in closet.

'Fitz is this Gerty?' Olivia asked with her nose crinkled as she picked up a picture of Fitz and a cow that was sitting on his night stand.

He looked up from unpacking his bag and grinned widely. 'It sure is. Wasn't she beautiful?'

'She sure was, honey.' she acquiesced and put the frame down. It looked like every other cow she had ever seen in her life but she didn't want to burst Fitz's bubble. If he wanted to love and adore his favorite cow then who was she to stop him?

'I hope mom didn't make dinner too awkward with her baby talk.' he commented apologetically as he started hanging up his shirts. 'I asked her not to bring it up but that woman just does has no filter.'

'I'll admit she caught me off guard.' she giggled then hopped on the bed and sat with her legs crossed. 'But it was alright. I guess its natural to be curious when your adult son gets into a relationship.'

'Oh God.' he groaned. 'You're defending her now. I need to get you back to California.'

'I just think you're too hard on them.' she shrugged as she watched him walk towards the bed. 'They're obviously crazy about you. Maybe their dramatics is the only way they know how to show their love.'

Fitz chuckled and crawled into the bed next to her. 'I'm glad you find them easy to be around.'

Olivia smiled and shifted her body so that she could straddle his thighs. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and placed small kisses on his forehead, nose, then his mouth. Fitz wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close while he used his tongue to lick her lips. Her mouth opened up for him and he took his time tasting her.

She moved her hands down his neck past his shoulders and then to his chest, rubbing his muscles through the fabric of his t-shirt. She could feel his hips involuntarily jerk upwards but she just lowered her body towards him. Olivia began slowly grinding herself against his crotch and smiled in satisfaction as he let out a groan.

'You know that drives me crazy, pretty girl.' he muttered as his hands moved from her back to her hips, pressing her further into his now semi hard dick.

'What are you going to do about it?' she asked teasingly before reaching to push his sweatpants down and release him from the restraints of his pants.

'Tommmyyyy!' Tiffany called from the other side of the door as she knocked. 'Answer the door! I know you're still up! The lights on!'

Fitz huffed and dropped his head onto Olivia's shoulder in frustration. 'What in the world does she want?'

'She probably just misses you.' she smirked and ran her fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck.

'Maybe if we just sit here quietly then she'll go away.' he said, trying to bring her attention away from the door.

Olivia laughed softly. 'Go get the door, Fitz.' she rolled off of his body and onto her back then crawled out of bed.

Fitz sighed and stood to his feet and walked over to the door. He opened it slightly to poke his head out but hid the lower half of his body behind it. 'What is it, Tiff?'

Tiffany tried looking past Fitz but stopped once she realized that Olivia must have gotten up to go to the bathroom. 'I wanted to tell you guys goodnight.'

'Thanks, goodnight.' he said, trying to shut the door.

'Tom.' she groaned loudly. 'I wanted to tell Olivia, too.'

'Olivia isn't feeling well. We had a really long flight and I think the time change is getting to her.' he lied.

Tiffany's face nearly flushed. 'Does she need anything?'

'Just some rest. I think I can handle it from here.' he said, starting to shut the door again. 'Night.'

'Goodnight.' she sighed and backed away from his room.

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief and locked his bedroom door. He smiled as he heard her turn the shower on in the bathroom and decided to join her. He grabbed some clean linens from the closet then took his clothes off and put them away in the laundry hamper and grabbed a condom out of his luggage.

Steam was already starting to form in the air in the bathroom as Olivia allowed the water to cascade down her neck and breasts. She had tied her hair up into a bun using the ponytail holder she had on her wrists and had pulled her body wash out of her suitcase. She giggled when she heard the bathroom door open, knowing that the sound of running water would make him come into the bathroom.

'You better get in here and join me because I plan on using all the hot water!' she called out teasingly and shut her eyes as the water ran over her face.

The glass door to the shower opened and she turned to greet him. She watched as he shut the glass then looked over her exposed skin, his cock twitching at the sight. He stepped closer to her and leaned in to take her mouth as his arms wrapped around her body.

'You are so beautiful.' he mumbled, nipping at her bottom lip.

Fitz wrapped one arm around her waist to help support her body while his other hand traveled lower. She immediately parted her legs further to allow him access to where she really wanted him and his broad digits moved there. Using his pointer and middle fingers he gently moved up and down her slit, reveling in the fact that she was already wet for him.

Olivia's breath hitched as he began paying attention to her clit and she pulled away from their heated kiss to catch her breath. His hands continued to work on her womanhood while he laid light kisses all over face, watching her expression as she began to fall apart. One of her legs began to twitch and he was glad he was holding her up.

'Fuck.' she moaned as her body arched further into his and she moved her leg up slightly to press into his hip, allowing him better access.

'You like that, pretty girl?' he asked before nipping at her bottom lip. 'You like me playing with your pussy?'

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't get a sound to come out. Instead she simply whimpered and nodded her head, grinding her hips into his hand as she searched for her release. She could feel her juices dripping off of his hand and down her thighs as he added extra pressure to his ministrations.

'Are you going to cum for me? Let me hear you say it.' he demanded lowly.

'I—' she started, trying to avoid stumbling over too many words. 'I'm going to cum for you.'

'You know what I'm going to do after that?' she shook her head 'no' so he continued. 'I'm going to press you up against the shower wall and fuck you until you scream.'

Olivia felt her cheeks heat up at his words. They had been working on talking dirty during sex but he had been a bit too shy to actually go through with it so this was a pleasant surprise. She moaned louder, encouraging him to continue.

Spurred on by her reaction Fitz tilted his neck downwards so that he could whisper in her ear. 'When I get done with you in here I'm going to lay you down on the bed and spread your legs open so that I can see every inch of you. I've been waiting to taste you all day long.'

The mixture of Fitz's fingers working her clit, the water cascading down her back, and him telling her all the things he wanted to do to her brought her orgasm along quickly. Her whole body clenched as shivers ran up and down her spine. He kept her body upright and laid kisses on her neck as she recovered from her climax.

After she gained her balance and could stand on her own Fitz grabbed the condom from the soap dish where he had tossed it and ripped it open. Olivia watched as he rolled the rubber down his long, thick shaft then turned his attention back to her. She held in her squeal as Fitz picked her up into his arms and pressed her back into the shower wall. He teased her entrance with the tip of his cock and groaned at the thought of finally being inside her again.

She wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders and adjusted herself as best she could into a comfortable position. Her fingernails began digging into the skin on his shoulders as he started sliding into her. This was a new position for them and she wasn't used to him being so deep inside of her. She bit down on his shoulder to hold in her whimpering as his balls pressed into her body.

Fitz kept his pace slow at first to give her time to get used to the sensation but soon started to speed up. He'd go slow and take his time with her some other time. Tonight all he wanted to do was pound into her until she was gasping for air and scratching at his back.

He held her body stagnant against the wall as his thrusts became faster and he let out a small grunt every time he pushed back into her softness. Olivia moaned loudly and threw her head against the tiles of the shower wall. Her body was completely under his control but she absolutely loved it. He was the only person in the world that she trusted to have this much influence over her.

Olivia's legs wrapped around his waist tightly and she buried her face in the crook of his neck while kissing the skin there. 'Harder.' she requested with a whimper.

Fitz nodded his head and pressed her further into the wall as his thrusts became rougher. Her walls were clenching around his cock, sucking him in as he fucked her. He knew he wouldn't be able to last as long as he wanted if she was doing that so he pinched down on her bottom to catch her attention.

'Stop that, naughty girl.' he scolded as he felt her nails drag down his back. He was sure to have a few marks on his skin in the morning but he didn't care.

After a few minutes Fitz could feel his balls tightening and he approached his peak. His thrusts became wild and sporadic as he pounded into her softness over and over again causing her to scream out his name. He wasn't sure if anyone else in the house could hear what was going on but he prayed that the shower was enough to drown her out. It didn't take much longer for him to find his release and his body slightly trembled as he released his seed into the condom.

He stood there for a moment with Olivia in his arms, both panting as they tried to catch their breath. Fitz reached and turned the shower off and started walking them back towards the bedroom, tossing the condom as they passed the garbage can. He laid her down on top of the bed and hovered above her, kissing her and using one hand to massage her breast and play with the piercing dissecting her nipple.

Soon he was kissing his way down her body and her legs immediately spread open for him. Her body was squirming and writhing underneath hers in search of some type of release so he decided not to tease her this time.

Instead, Fitz settled himself in between her legs, his hands holding down both of her thighs just in case she tried getting away. Using long, broad licks he went up and down her pussy before finally settling at the sensitive nub settled in between her lower lips. Her hands moved lower and her fingers dug themselves in the curls on his head, pulling his face closer to her pussy.

He nearly chuckled at her eagerness as he drew lazy circles over her clit using his tongue. He wasn't sure what it was about Olivia but he could honestly lay and eat her out for hours on end and never grow tired. Fitz let go of one of her legs so that he could moved his fingers to her entrance, slowly sliding in two of his digits.

Ever aware of their surroundings, Olivia grabbed one of the decorative pillows off of the bed and bit down on it. As accepting as Fitz's family seemed she didn't want Tiffany or Teddy to hear them like that. She moved her non-restrained leg around his body, her heel digging into the flesh of his back as he selfishly ate her.

Fitz curled his fingers upwards so that they pressed into her sweet spot and her body nearly rocketed off the bed. Her clit was throbbing inside of his greedy mouth and he could feel her walls contracting on his fingers letting him know that she was close. He let go of other leg to grab the pillow she had in between her teeth and he threw it off of the bed.

Olivia whimpered loudly and pursed her lips together to try and hold her noises in. Her taut stomach began to tremble and she reached towards him, her fingers grasping for some type of connection. Fitz immediately intertwined the fingers of his freehand with hers, holding them over her body to keep her down on the bed.

After wrapping both of her legs around his neck she began grinding her hips against his face. Fitz stop flicking his tongue over her nub and sucked it into his mouth and that was what brought her over the edge. She let out a loud scream as her thighs clenched together on his head and her whole body tensed up.

Fitz lapped up any of her essence threatening to drip away as she recovered from her orgasm, her body relaxing into the soft mattress below her. He kissed the flesh of her inner thighs then started his journey back up her body. He could see her eyes fluttering and knew sleep was going to take over in the next few minutes.

'Hi.' he mumbled against her mouth, cradling her body against him.

'Hi.' she replied then bit down on his bottom lip.

'Ready for bed?' he asked before rolling over onto his back to lay beside her.

Olivia immediately made herself comfortable and attached herself to the side of his body, her leg now hitched on his waist and her arms wrapped around his chest. She yawned softly and nodded her head.

'You tired me out.' she muttered accusingly.

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close to him while he worked to pull the covers over their naked body. 'I'll take that as a compliment.'

* * *

 _ **A/N: So we finally get to meet Fitz's family. Well, everybody except his dad who will be in the next chapter. We're almost at 400 reviews which absolutely blows my mind. Thank you all for your continued support. I know I say this a lot but it really means the world to me. Writing Knights Ferry has allowed me to connect with lots of people in the fandom, readers and other writers, and I've loved every moment of it.**_

 _ **As usual I love to hear about your favorite parts or a part that made you laugh or what you think may happen next. I hope you enjoyed. Until next time!**_


	16. Compromise

**NSFW**

* * *

Olivia woke up in the middle of the night with her head pounding, her limbs feeling a lot heavier than usual, and a terribly dry mouth. _Jet lag_. She sighed and stood up from bed, carefully removing herself from Fitz's arms, and went to put some clothes on that she had sitting in the corner. Neither of them had bothered getting dressed after their romp in the shower but she definitely couldn't go downstairs exposed. She had some Advil in her purse and kept Fitz in mind as she grabbed an extra two out of the case and put them on the night stand.

Now clad in a pair of black running shorts and a white henley top she tiptoed out of the bedroom and carefully shut the door behind her. She had to pass by Tiffany's room to reach the end of the hall and she could see through the cracks that her light was still on and she was ticking away at her keyboard. She could only snort and laugh as she imagined what she was writing on her blog about her being there.

As soon as she reached the staircase she could feel how sore her thighs were and couldn't help but think back on last night. Fitz had her spread all the way out as he pounded into her over and over and over again against the shower wall and she was definitely feeling it now. It seemed like he was getting rougher and rougher each time they had sex but she definitely wasn't complaining. He was probably always dominant in bed; he just needed the right woman to bring it out of him. She went down each stair carefully until she reached the bottom then frowned and scratched her head.

The downstairs seemed a lot bigger now that she was walking by herself and she couldn't exactly remember which way the kitchen was. Since it was hot outside the family had the air conditioner on high and the cool marble under her feet was almost cold enough to make her shiver. After playing a quick round of _Eenie Meanie Mighny Moe_ she decided to head towards the right. She sighed with relief as her surrounding started to look familiar then she noticed a light coming from that area.

She treaded carefully as she tiptoed to the kitchen and found Teddy, or Theodore as he had been insisting on, wearing nothing but a pair baby blue and pink striped boxers. He had the refrigerator wide open and he was drinking directly out of the carton of milk in the fridge, his adams apple bobbing up and down as he drank. He had obviously dug into the leftovers that their mom had left in the fridge and there were open containers all over the counter since he hadn't bothered putting anything in a plate. He had his phone laying on the countertop and had some music playing lowly as he bobbed his head along to whatever song was playing.

Olivia decided to just back away and come down in a few minutes but as soon as the beat dropped on the song he began shaking his hips to the music and she couldn't help but burst into laughter. That caught Teddy's attention and he yelped and dropped the bottle of milk on the floor and it spilled all over including on his feet. It was only then he realized he was just in his boxers and he quickly moved to cover his crotch as if she could see something significant.

'Geez! You scared me!' he hissed lowly.

'Sorry.' she said with an unapologetic chuckle. 'I was just coming down to get some water.' Olivia moved to grab the roll of paper towels off of the other side of the counter and tore off a few strips before handing them over to Teddy.

Now that the excitement was over and his adrenaline wasn't running high, he was thoroughly embarrassed. He bent over to clean his feet then got down on his knees to work on the floor. 'Thanks.'

'What are you doing up?' she asked curiously as she looked over at all the food. 'Didn't get enough at dinner?'

Teddy sighed. He had barely eaten anything at dinner because he was way too busy concentrating on looking older and more mature. His plan was to wait until everyone went to bed to actually eat but now he had been caught. 'I just got a little hungry.' he shrugged nonchalantly.

Olivia could see right through his facade. He wasn't the only person who had to try and change themselves in an attempt to please their families and in a way she kind of identified with him. She cocked her head to the side as she watched him throw the paper towels and now empty milk carton away.

'You didn't eat much at dinner, either.' she pointed out.

'Ya.' he shrugged again.

'You know that your family sees right through this act you're putting on?' she said as she moved to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

His breath hitched. 'This isn't an act. I'm growing and becoming more mature.' he tried to justify more to himself than to Olivia.

She snorted and leaned against the countertop as she opened the bottle and took a sip. 'Whats the real reason?'

Teddy sighed. 'You really want to know?'

'I think I already do but try me.' she rolled her shoulders to stretch them.

'Everybody around here thinks I'm some type of screw up.' he mumbled almost angrily. 'Nobody takes me seriously. The dogs don't even come when I call their names.'

'Why do you think that is?' she asked as she put the bottle down to give him her undivided attention. She could tell he didn't really have anyone to talk his issues out with so she was happy to listen.

'I mean I'll admit that I've fucked up a few times but now nobody gives me a chance. It's like everybody has something going for them except me. Tom owns his farm, Tiff has a socialite club that keeps her busy, and mom and dad do their own thing. They just expect me to sit around and play video games all day.' he groaned.

'Is that all you do?'

'I mean, yes.' his cheeks heated. 'But only because that's the only thing I like right now. I asked Thomas if I could come stay with him in California for a little while but he said no. He hasn't even given it a second thought. He says I'm too immature.'

'Well, Fitz takes his job very seriously.' she shrugged. 'It looks fun and easy but it can be dangerous at times. I'm sure he doesn't want you working out in the fields if you're not ready to start.'

'I think I'll be okay milking some cows and planting some tomatoes.' he had to keep himself from rolling his eyes.

Olivia ignored his snarky comment and switched the subject. 'What about college? You could always go to school.' she suggested.

'I don't think school is for me.' he rubbed the back of his head, his fingers tousling through his thick waves. It was definitely a habit he shared with his brother. 'Plus I goofed off all during high school so I don't think I'll get accepted anywhere.'

Olivia almost laughed. 'Your name carries weight, Teddy. You can probably get into almost anywhere.'

'But I'm no good at school. That's why I want to go to the farm for a little while and work with my hands. Maybe I'll be better with that.'

'Your brother has 3 degrees.' she reminded. 'He's not just farming. He's doing important research and studying in his lab.'

'I can help him do that.' he nodded his head eagerly. 'I can do whatever it is he needs me to do. I just need to get him to give me a chance. I learned chemistry in school and I know all about test tubes and plants and I read all of the articles that Thomas publishes.'

'You do?' her eyebrow cocked, surprised. She could barely get through half of one without giving up herself so the thought of Teddy reading 100 pages on cow breeding techniques was almost unbelievable.

It was times like this that she realized how absolutely boring her boyfriend's occupation was but she shook the thought out of her head.

'I mean,' his cheeks heated again and he turned red. 'I read one on how to plant vegetables in a greenhouse. I did my senior project on it.'

She giggled. 'You used your brother's work to get a grade?'

'I cited him.' he shrugged.

'Did you think it was interesting?'

'Hell no.' he shook his head.

Olivia laughed. 'Then why are you so eager to do this type of work? You're trying to take the easy way out and the easy way out isn't always the best way out.'

Teddy sighed. 'I just want them to be proud of me. I'm tired of being the screw up. It's like they just expect it from me at this point.'

She looked at him sympathetically and took a step closer. 'I was in the same position you were in just a few years ago.' she started to explain. 'I'm definitely the family screw up.'

His eyebrows raised in disbelief. 'You don't have to make up some sob story to get me to feel better. Nobody who's a bestselling author is a screw up.'

'I'm serious.' she smirked and pulled her phone out of the waistband of the shorts she was wearing. She pulled up a picture that her family took together a couple of years ago without her in it. They were all wearing their white coats and had stethoscopes around their necks.

'Everybody in my family is a doctor but I never had an interest in medicine. I was in college for a year when I found out that I didn't like being in school and I dropped out to start writing. My parents were absolutely furious and they actually cut me off. I was living with a friend until I started earning money off of my first book.'

'Wow.' he mumbled as he looked over the picture. 'So are they proud of you now?'

'Not really.' she shook her head and gave him a sad smile. 'They come around when I get awards. They like dressing up nice and being in the spotlight to take pretty pictures but they've never supported my dream. That's something that I've had to learn to cope with and handle.'

'So it doesn't get any better?' he asked as he slid her phone back over to her.

'It does.' she nodded. 'You find people who will be there for you. You find friends and other supportive people and they become your family. My friends are my gladiators. I know that if I call them right now they'd come running if I needed them. But you don't need that. Your family will support you in anything you decide. You just have to choose something.'

'But I don't know what to choose.' he muttered. 'I don't know what I like.'

'And that's what you have to figure out.' she smiled and picked her phone up and softly kissed Teddy's cheek. 'Goodnight. Don't think about it too hard, Teddy. It'll all come to you when the time is right.'

Olivia made her way out of the kitchen and back to the staircase as she made her way upstairs. As soon as she opened the door she found Fitz still laying on his stomach with his face in the pillow and snoring loudly. She smirked and crawled back into bed beside him.

She wasn't sure if coming to the farm would be the right thing for Teddy to do but now she was invested in making sure that he felt better about himself. If he needed to spend a few months away from DC to help better understand what it was that he wanted to do then she'd support that. She'd just have to work on getting Fitz to change his mind but that wouldn't be too hard.

 _At least she didn't think so._

* * *

Fitz woke up the next morning in a slight daze. He was so used to having to wake up early and do chores it had become hard for him to sleep in. What made matters worse was that they were on a completely different side of the country and his body had it's timezones blurred. He felt like he wanted to wake up but he also felt like laying back in bed. He looked at his phone and realized it was already 1pm and he was shocked. He hadn't slept in this late since college but it felt nice he supposed.

One thing he didn't like, though, was the slightly unfamiliar surroundings. After spending years living in the farmhouse, and the years before that going to school in Mississippi, his parent's home felt almost like a hotel. He was a creature of habit and his daily routine was something safe and comfortable so being in his old bedroom felt strange. Even the sheets and pillowcases felt foreign. He even missed Percy.

Well, Fitz thought about missing Percy for 2 seconds then quickly shook that thought out of his mind. If the dog didn't make Olivia so happy he would've even considered giving him away to one of the kids in the town but he lived to see his little woman smile.

He was still naked from the night before and his morning wood was in full affect. He supposed it wouldn't really be a 'morning' wood considering that it was lunch time but he just couldn't help himself. Usually Olivia would still be sound asleep around the time that he would be getting up and he wouldn't dare wake her at 4am. He'd probably lose a hand and he had found himself extremely attached to his limbs.

He rolled over and frowned as he realized that at some point in the middle of the night she had decided to get dressed. Fitz pushed himself against her body, cradling her in a spooning position, as he began laying open mouth kisses on her neck. He knew he had to play his next moves very carefully or his plan might backfire on him. He may just end up with an extremely cranky woman on his hands for the rest of the day and he didn't want that. He could feel her start to lightly stir and he smiled.

The sunlight was seeping through the curtains of his bedroom just right to illuminate her warm, brown skin. He loved see her this way. It was as if she had a natural glow about herself and he just couldn't get enough of it. In his eyes the sun literally shined just for her. Fitz allowed one of his hands to travel up the hem of her henley t-shirt and to her stomach. She was wearing too many clothes in his opinion.

'Stop.' she whined as she tried pulling away from him and pushing his hand down.

'Baby.' he said pleadingly as he pressed his very stiff erection into her plump ass. They would have to be more careful this morning. There wouldn't be a shower to help drown out the noises they made and he didn't want to make it awkward for her and his family.

Her body shivered. She didn't think she'd ever get over just how big his cock was. Fitz was such a nice, sweet, humble and loving man; no one would ever expect for him to be carrying such a weapon in his pants. 'Right now?'

'Right now.' he nodded his head, his voice urgent, as he started trying to push down her shorts.

'Only because I love you.' she hummed lowly as she shifted her hips upwards to help him pull her shorts down. She quickly rid herself of her panties to avoid another ripping situation.

While Olivia undressed, Fitz reached in his suitcase by the bed to grab a condom. He laid it between them before taking a hold of her leg and shifting it on top of his. He worked on grinding his crotch into her waiting heat and nearly lost it as she coated his bare cock in her building essence. He was usually restricted inside of the rubber sheaths so to have her like this felt like absolute heaven.

Olivia moaned as he pressed the tip of his dick against her opening then purred softly. As much as she hated being woken up in the morning, this was so sexy to her. The fact that he woke up and the first thing on his mind was to have her right then was such a turn on. 'Give it to me.' she demanded lowly as his teasing became too much.

'Hush.' he scolded as he continued to enjoy the feel of their skin pressed together. He knew he needed to stop soon because if not he'd likely explode just like that but it was hard. Fitz lightly turned her body so that she could lay on her back but keep her hips flexed against his.

He licked his lips as he saw two perky brown nubs poking upwards against the fabric of her white top. Fitz pressed her breasts together and immediately attacked her exposed cleavage with nips and kisses. He started pulling at the shirt, trying to get it off and expose her body as fast as he could. Besides having his head buried between her thighs, his favorite thing to do with his mouth during sex was to suck on her nipples until she screamed. He prayed everyone was downstairs because he had lost all thoughts for something quick and quiet.

Olivia helped him get her out of the shirt then threw it off to the side. Before she could even lay back down his mouth was all over her chest biting and licking any place he wanted as if he was some type of starving man. If she hadn't known any better she would've assumed he had been deprived of sex for years but this was just the way Fitz was. He was so attentive and full of passion it sometimes made her want to shed a tear.

'I want it.' she asked again as she moved her hands underneath the covers to take hold of his cock.

'Shut up.' he reprimanded once more. It was hard enough not to cum with his face in between her mounds and his dick pumping against her heat. Hearing her beg for it would surely make him explode. Fitz quickly took a hold of her hand and pushed it back up above her head.

Her bottom lip involuntarily poked out. She rolled her hips against his body, trying to make him feel how urgent her need for him was. Olivia yelped and winced when a firm hand struck her bottom but then immediately purred afterwards. She pressed her hips against his again and she was met with the same punishment.

 _This woman._ Fitz grunted.

'You naughty girl.' he rumbled lowly but loud enough for her to hear. 'You like being spanked, don't you?'

'No.' she shook her head and smiled coyly at him as she started moving her hips again.

Fitz chuckled and popped her again, this time harder than before. 'I think you do.'

Olivia leaned in to kiss him and bit down on his bottom lip, lingering there until he pulled away. 'Only by you.' she clarified softly.

'Mmmm.' he hummed his approval before smacking her bottom once more. 'Lay on your stomach.'

'Make me.' she challenged, refusing to move.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised by her response. Fitz sat up in the bed and sucked his teeth and shook his head at her. She moved so that she could lay flat on her back and she had the biggest grin on her face.

'Somebody is being stubborn today.' he remarked.

' _Somebody is being stubborn today._ ' she said, mimicking him.

Fitz almost laughed at her childish behavior as he grabbed the condom he had laying on the sheets. He ripped the wrapper open and put it on the nightstand beside the bed then rolled the rubber sheath down to his balls. Olivia licked her licks as she watched his move at a pace that was way too slow for her liking. Before she could voice her complaints he had her in his arms and flipped her over on her stomach.

Olivia nearly yelped as she realized what had just happened. He was becoming more and more dominant in bed and even though she loved it, it occasionally surprised her. She took hold of the pillow beside her head and held it close, knowing she'd need something to bite or scream into. She tried to resist as Fitz parted her legs to his liking but he was way too strong for her.

She felt the tip of his cock press into her entrance and took a short, deep breath as she prepared for her walls to stretch for him. Instead her bottom was met with 2 firm smacks. Olivia quickly pressed her face into the pillow in her arms.

'When I ask you to do something,' Fitz started as he rubbed her ass with his palms. 'you do it.'

Before she could respond he spanked her again. Fitz could hear her yelp and was thankful she had a way to keep herself quiet. He had never been one to be this aggressive during foreplay but he knew Olivia liked it and he was getting pretty turned on himself.

'Do you understand me?'

'Yes.' she nodded her head.

He popped her again, her body jerking slightly. 'Yes, what?'

'Yes sir.' she corrected with a slight smile that she was thankful that he couldn't see.

Fitz reached down and took hold of her hips, bringing her ass up and making her balance herself as he laid a pillow underneath her body. He ran his pointer and middle finger up and down her slit, coating it in her essence and making her moan. Her breath hitched as he slid in his digits into her entrance, her toes curling as he teased her.

He brought his fingers to his mouth, groaning his approval as he licked them. Fitz leaned forward so that he could hover above her, pressing his weight on her back, and grabbed the base of his cock and slid it inside of her. Olivia's body jerked as he filled her until his balls pressed against her ass. He studied her facial expression as he cradled her body.

She gave him a subtle nod, a gesture that she was alright and ready for him to move, and he leaned in to kiss her. Fitz drank in her moans and cries as he began slowly pounding against her softness, hitting her spot time and time again. He could feel her thighs trembling already and couldn't help the smug grin that overtook his face. He loved knowing the exact position and rhythm that he needed to go that would make her body ache for more.

Olivia raised her hips against his as she met him thrust for thrust. She could feel her hardened nipples pressed up against the soft fabric of the sheets and they were aching for his attention. She began to whimper slightly and then bit down on his bottom lip to grab his attention. Before she could verbalize her request Fitz slowly pulled out and rolled her over so that she could lay on her back. Her chest heaved up and down as her legs fell open for him.

'Tell me what you want, pretty girl.' he groaned lowly as he sat on his knees between her thighs, admiring every curve and crease of her beautiful body. The body that seemed like it was made _just for him_.

'Your mouth.' she mewled, already missing his flesh against hers. She could see his cock twitching as his eyes roamed over her as if he was some type of hungry animal about to go in for his prey and that gave her a boost in confidence. She had never felt so sexy and wanted in her life.

'Where do you want it?' he leaned down, settling himself in between her thighs. He began licking up and down her jawline, occasionally nipping at her skin and not caring how much concealer she'd need to cover up his marks. 'Don't be shy, pretty girl. Tell me where you want me to put my mouth.'

'Fitz, please—' she whimpered as she pressed her chest against his.

He began kissing down her neck and to her chest until he reached the valley in between her breasts. She had love bites on her skin from the previous night and seeing that drove him crazy. Fitz moved to kiss her nipple then lightly sucked on it, releasing it from his mouth with a pop. 'Is this where you want me?' he asked, his breath ghosting over her extremely sensitive nubs.

'Yes.' she nodded her head eagerly, her hands moving down to play in his hair.

'Yes, what?' he asked, turning his neck so that he could look her in the eyes as she responded.

'Yes, sir.' she whimpered.

He smiled before turning his attention back to her aching nipple, taking it back into his mouth and sucking lightly on it. He was still a little wary of her piercings even though she had assured him that he wouldn't hurt her. Fitz used his other hand to roam further down her body and play with her pussy. Olivia immediately reached for the pillow beside her head and placed it over her face as she tried her best to muffle the sounds coming out of her mouth.

Fitz could feel her muscles tightening around his fingers and pulled them out, much to her dismay. He ignored her complaints and spread her thighs out further. He wanted to be inside her as she came. Olivia wrapped her arms around his and hitched her legs up on his sides as he pushed himself inside of her once more. He watched as her brows furrowed cutely and her jaw slacked as she took him all in.

He could feel her fingers begin to squeeze down on his shoulders, her nails pressing into the skin there as she gripped onto anything that would keep her grounded to the bed as Fitz increased their slow pace. The angle they were at allowed his cock to press against her clit every time he moved and she knew that she was on the brink of orgasm. She could feel it build up in the pit of her stomach as she strained to keep her body from going limp.

Fitz leaned down and kissed the side of her face, his lips near her ear as he nudged the pillow away. 'Who's pussy is this?' he asked lowly.

'Yours.' Olivia nearly cried out. She buried her face into his shoulder.

'Say it again. Tell me who's pussy this is.' he demanded as she rolled his hips and snapped them forward.

'Yours!' she repeated a little louder as she nearly choked.

'Say it, Livvie.' he demanded once more.

She was on the brink of absolutely falling apart. Her face began to heat up and her body trembled as every single one of her nerves seemed to be on fire. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as his thrusts became fast and erratic. He's trying to kill me.

'Yours.' she sobbed as her orgasm finally washed over her body.

Fitz immediately covered her mouth with his to drown out her noise as he watched her facial expressions. He had never seen her lips and cheeks contort the way they were right then. Her inner muscles were still squeezing him, bringing him closer and closer to his release.

Olivia's legs fell down to the bed and her eyes shut tightly. Her body was limp and she laid back and enjoyed the sensation of him moving inside of her. His body jerked as he finished and she smiled as he collapsed on top of her. He was always so worried about squishing her under his weight but she loved the way his body felt on top of hers. She could feel him move to pull himself out and get up but she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly.

'Not yet, baby.' she mumbled softly, trying to savor the moment.

'I don't want to hurt you.' he mumbled back and pressed his cheek against hers, covering her skin in affectionate kisses.

'You wont.' she shook her head slightly and raked her nails up and down his flesh.

'Are you okay?' he asked lowly.

'Ya.' she nodded.

Eventually Olivia let him go and he got up to dispose of the condom. There was a wet spot on the bed where they were laying but Fitz brought an extra blanket for them to wrap themselves in. She almost laughed as she saw it was covered in pictures of animals and she realized that it was so typical Fitz but she kept it in. As soon as he spread the cover out she held her arms out to him, flexing her fingers as a signal for him to hurry up and return to her. She poked her bottom lip out cutely. He was moving way too slow for her liking and she was growing impatient.

As soon as he got in the bed she turned over on her side, with her back to his chest, and took hold of his arm and draped it around her body. Olivia sighed contently as he cuddled up behind her and laid soft kisses on her cheek, showering her with his affection.

'I like this.' she said softly, breaking the silence between them.

'Sex?' he asked with a chuckle.

'Yes but that's not what I meant.' she smirked and pinched his hand, a punishment for his silliness. 'I meant I like waking up with you. Usually when I get up you're out in the field or in the lab so I don't get to see you.'

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. He never knew she felt that way about him leaving before she woke up and now he felt bad. His work schedule had been the same for the past few years so it never even occurred to him to think about the ways it was affecting her. He would have to come up with a way to get rid of his hectic morning schedule. Once they returned to Knights Ferry he'd ask Max and Hooter if they'd be interested in coming in early in the mornings before school to make some extra money.

'I like this, too.' he responded honestly and kissed the back of her head.

'We need to get up at some point. We can't stay in bed all day.' she said through a yawn.

'We can.' he countered. 'We're on vacation.'

Olivia giggled. 'Vacation with your family. We can't just stay locked away all day.'

He groaned. 'Hush, little woman. We'll get up after we take a nap. They'll understand. We had a long and tiring flight and now we just want to get some rest.' Fitz justified with a slight smile, knowing she'd be dozing off any second now.

* * *

Two hours later Fitz and Olivia were coming downstairs, hand in hand, both showered and feeling refreshed. Neither of them had eaten all day but he was sure his mother put food aside for them to have. While she chose to wear a pair of acid wash skinny jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt, Fitz had just thrown on a pair of sweatpants and an old shirt. All he wanted to do was sit around in the theater and maybe play a video game with his brother so he wanted to be comfortable.

They found everyone sitting at the island in the kitchen. Tiffany had been typing something on her computer but her ears perked up once she heard them coming down the stairs. She had been waiting all day long to blog about what Olivia would be wearing that day and now she was excited. She stood up from her seat to get a good look at her and almost squealed. She recognized the jeans from a previous outfit that she wore to a conference.

'These are the jeans you wore to Adventurecon back in 2014!' she pointed out as she walked over to where they were standing to further inspect Olivia's outfit.

'What?' her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to even remember going to Adventurecon back in 2014. She hadn't even realized that the pants were that old. She vaguely remembered the experience. 'Oh. I guess you're right.'

'Tiff.' Fitz scolded as he squeezed down on Olivia's hand, pulling her away from his sister. It was bad enough that they had to deal with the paparazzi outside. He wasn't so sure why it was so hard for them to disassociate her with her fame.

'It's okay.' Olivia mumbled to Fitz and let go of his hand, smiling as she watched Tiffany further fangirl over here. She was sure that this behavior wouldn't last forever. At some point she would have to get used to having her around. She just needed to get it out of her system.

Fitzgerald Thomas Grant II, or Big Gerry as he was affectionately called, watched on from his spot at the island as his daughter interacted with his oldest son's new girlfriend. His eyes were wide and he had to take a sip of his drink to keep his jaw from going slack. He had Googled her once Tiffany revealed her identity to them and her face was all over the gossip sites that his interns kept up with but he had to see it to believe it. She was beautiful, successful, and **_black_**.

Big Gerry didn't necessarily have a problem with black people but he was surprised that his son found himself interested in any. He didn't mind treating Olivia like family but he had a very good feeling that his friends and colleagues would have something to say. He could already imagine how awkward the next few holiday parties would be when his son brought his black wife and their mixed babies from their farm in the middle of no where. As successful as Fitz was in the world, he was never able to meet his father's standards.

 _A failure_ is the term he used when he chose to go to school in Mississippi to pursue his degree in agriculture. Never to his face, but he made his opinion known to everyone else in the family.

That was nothing new, though. While Fitz was wasting all his potential playing Old McDonald on his farm, Tiffany couldn't hold down a job to save her life. She quit nearly everything she got, including the opportunities he set up for her. He was happy that she at least found a hobby in reading and flogging (or blogging, he wasn't sure which), but he couldn't get Teddy off of his ass long enough to even apply for college.

Obviously he loved all his children unconditionally but he couldn't lie and say that he was proud of them, either. He would've loved to see one of them follow in his footsteps and go into politics but they all resisted it at every angle. Gerry had long given up on them. It was much easier to just pay to keep them happy and content while he took care of business. While Fitz had long become financially stable, he was still caring for his youngest 2 and figured he would have to until the day one of them died.

Fitz gave his father a tightlipped smile as he walked over to where he was sitting. There was naturally always some tension between them but he wanted to put all that behind them for the week. He wasn't in the mood to argue or have any passive aggressive encounters. 'Hi, dad.'

Gerry smiled back and stood to his feet. He wrapped his son up in a hug and patted his back. 'Welcome home, son.'

He nodded and squeezed Gerry tight before letting go, almost wincing once he heard the word 'home'. DC definitely didn't feel like home. Fitz reached to grab Olivia by the hand and she intertwined their fingers, a silent show of support. She knew he had a lot of unresolved issues with his father so she wanted to be there for him in any capacity that she could. 'This is my girlfriend, Olivia.'

Olivia smiled and extended her hand in an offering to shake. 'It's very nice to meet you, Senator Grant. Fitz tells me—'

Big Gerry took her by the hand and brought it up to his mouth and kissed her fingers. 'Please, call me Big Gerry.'

Fitz rolled his eyes and Olivia crinkled her nose at his forwardness. The only thing she could think about was the way Jake kissed her hand her first day in Knights Ferry at the general store. While Fitz would never believe that his father would purposely flirt with her, he wished he had a way to turn off his politician mode. It would've been so simple to hug her or shake her hand but he just had to try and charm her as if she was some type of fiscal donor. She forced a smile then took her hand back.

'Very nice to meet you, Big Gerry.' she replied and nodded her head in his direction.

Angie grinned brightly, blissfully ignorant of the awkwardness of their situation. She was honestly just happy to see all of her family back together. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and pulled up her camera as quickly as possible. 'Everybody get in for a photo! On the count of three everybody say Rosie Posie!' she insisted with a squeal.

Big Gerry put his arm tightly around Fitz's neck then the other one around Teddy's as he smiled widely for his wife, unaware that he was nearly choking his sons. Tiffany and Olivia joined them at their sides and they all smiled for the camera as best they could.

* * *

An hour later they were all sitting in the living room and eating finger sandwiches that the cooks had prepared a few hours prior. Angie sat in one of the recliners with her glasses placed above her nose as she studied something on her cellphone. She huffed loudly, a show that she wanted attention, but no one even turned her way. She cleared her throat next but still no one looked at her.

'Excuse me.' she finally announced loudly. 'I need help.'

'Help with what, mom?' Teddy asked, barely looking up from his own phone.

'I want to put the picture I took up on the Facebook door but I don't know how to.' she explained as she dramatically pressed her screen to try and figure it out.

'What?' Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. 'No.'

'No?' Angie cocked her eyebrow.

'Ya mom. It's a Facebook wall, not a door.' Tiffany corrected.

Fitz crinkled his nose. 'I meant no you don't need to put that picture on Facebook.' he shook his head.

'Why not?' his mother cut her eyes at him.

'Because I don't want everyone knowing where Olivia is. If you put that picture up then everyone on your social media page will know she's here.' he countered. 'It's bad enough that Tiffany has been blogging about it but at least none of her followers know where she lives.'

Olivia rolled her eyes. While she could appreciate how protective her boyfriend was, it was very unnecessary. She was 'famous' long before they met and she had never taken so many precautions. His next step would surely be to put her in her own personal bubble. She lightly touched Fitz's thigh to grab his attention and spoke lowly.

'I think it would be okay for her to put up a few pictures. It wont hurt anything.' she suggested softly.

'Absolutely not.' he shook his head. He was still feeling paranoid from their experience at the airport so the fact that this was even being suggested was making him uneasy.

She opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it again. She didn't like the fact that he was being so uptight about their situation but she would address it when they were in private.

'I can take a picture with you all in it later on then I'll help you post it to Facebook.' Olivia said, smiling sweetly at Angie.

Her face lit up. 'That sounds excellent!'

Tiffany had been ticking away at her computer then looked up from her screen once she got an idea. 'Hey Olivia I have a book club meeting tomorrow afternoon. I know everybody would be absolutely shocked if you came. It'd be a good surprise.'

Olivia's face lit up. She loved meeting the people who really enjoyed her work. While she did run into a few crazy people, for the most part, her fans loved her. She kept all of her work top secret but they asked great questions and she liked signing funny autographs and making silly faces while they tried taking pictures of her. Before she could open her mouth to respond Fitz spoke over her.

'That wouldn't be a good idea.' he shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest.

Tiffany pouted. 'Why not? It'll be fun.'

'Because I want us to just be normal during this trip. Olivia took one step in the airport and all of a sudden there were cameras everywhere all in our faces.' his nose crinkled. 'It's dangerous.'

Olivia gently touched his thigh again to stop him from talking. 'I think that could be arranged, Tiffany. I would love to meet your book club.' she turned her attention to Fitz. 'Can I talk to you for a minute?' she gestured to the doorway.

Fitz frowned but nodded his head and stood to his feet. He followed Olivia out of the room and into the hallway. Once they were sure that they were out of earshot she started talking.

'What is your problem, Fitz?' she hissed lowly.

'My problem?' his eyebrows raised. 'I don't have a problem. I'm trying to keep you safe. Why can't you see that?'

'You're not trying to keep me safe. You're being controlling and overbearing. Am I your girlfriend or your prisoner?'

'Of course you're not my prisoner.' he nearly yelled, the accusation angering him. 'But how can you fault me about being concerned about you?'

'I'm not faulting you for being concerned. I'm faulting you for being an ass.' she said as calmly as she could. 'I was my own person before I met you. I can handle myself. I've always loved meeting fans of my work and this is no different. It'll be my first semipublic appearance in months!'

'We didn't come across the country for you to work, Olivia.' he reminded as he crossed his arms.

Olivia sighed. 'Fitz you're asking me to make this trip as normal as possible but I'm not a normal person. We live in a bubble in Knights Ferry. I understand that its easier for us there. Nobody takes pictures of me or rushes up to me to talk but we're not in Knights Ferry right now. I miss being able to go out into the world.'

He cut his eyes at her, still not seeing too much justification in her going out. 'Fine. But you need a bodyguard. A professional one.'

'I'm not getting a bodyguard, Fitz.' she said, growing exhausted from their conversation. 'I'm done talking about this. I'm a grown woman and I'm going to do what I want.' Olivia turned on her heels and walked away before he could say another word.

* * *

The rest of the night had been awkward for everyone at the house. Fitz and Olivia weren't exactly speaking with one another so it seemed like they were more or less strangers sitting and moving around in the same home than boyfriend and girlfriend. They sat beside one another at dinner but barely even looked at each other. Both of them were dreading going up to the bedroom to sleep, knowing that another much needed conversation would take place.

After their meal was over Big Gerry stood to his feet. He smiled sweetly down at his wife who was still nibbling on her salad. He never understood why she found it so necessary to diet and eat rabbit food but if it made her happy then he was content. 'Thank you for arranging this lovely meal, Angie darling. Everything was beautiful.'

'You're welcome, honey.' she smiled and extended her neck in his direction, offering her cheek to him.

He chuckled and leaned down to press his lips against her cheek but pecked her lips instead, ignoring the gagging noises that Tiffany was making in the background. He walked past Fitz and lightly touched his shoulder, a signal that he needed to follow him out, then exited through the doorway of the dining hall.

Fitz grunted and took a final sip of his water. He was already in a bad mood so he didn't feel like hearing his father's mouth. He took the napkin that he had resting in his lap and threw it on the table in front of him. Olivia rolled her eyes at his dramatics but kept her opinion to herself as she continued the side conversation she had going on with Tiffany and Teddy.

Big Gerry walked into his office that was connected to the den area and waited a few moments for Fitz to come behind him. He sat behind his large mahogany desk and opened up a bottle of scotch and poured some of the liquid into two glasses. If the two men had nothing else in common their taste in alcohol was one and the same. Fitz came in and shut the door behind him but didn't sit down.

'What is it?' he asked, pushing his hands into his pockets.

'Have a seat.' Big Gerry insisted, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.

'I'm really not in the mood for one of your speeches tonight.' he shook his head. 'Just tell me what it is that you want.'

Gerry slid the glass of scotch in front of Fitz. 'Tom I'm trying to help you. I really think you should sit down.'

'And what in the world do you think you could help me with?' he cocked his eyebrow.

He chuckled. 'You always were stubborn. You get that from your mother's side, ya know?' he said as he took a sip of his drink.

'I'm going back to the dining room.' he brushed him off as he turned to leave.

'You're going to lose that pretty little girlfriend of yours.' Gerry said, stopping him in his tracks.

Fitz turned to him, furious that he would even suggest that. 'No I'm not. You don't even know Olivia. She isn't going anywhere.'

'Sure she's not going anywhere today.' his father shrugged. 'Maybe she wont even go anywhere next year. But if you keep up that bullheaded behavior then she wont stick around.'

'I'm trying to make sure that she's safe! It's so many people out there coming up to her and theres no way to know the good from the bad. Why is it that nobody understands that?' he said, trying to justify his thoughts and actions.

'But that isn't how you protect her, Thomas.' he shook his head.

He scoffed. 'How exactly am I supposed to do that since you're such an expert?'

'Are you going to have a seat?' he asked, gesturing to the chair once more.

With a sigh he sat down in the chair. 'Fine. I'm sitting.'

'You really want to know how to keep her safe?'

'Yes!' he hissed, growing impatient.

'You can't' he shrugged. 'Thomas that's a grown woman that you're dating. They make their own decisions. You can't force it. How would you feel if she asked you to change her entire lifestyle to conform to her needs?'

'All I want her to do is get a bodyguard. Or maybe 3.' he sighed and took a sip of the scotch in front of him. 'Just as a precaution.'

'You cant make her live her life in a shell because you're afraid someone may step on her toe.' he shook his head. 'You're pushing your weight around because you want to seem like a man but that doesn't always work.'

Fitz knocked back the last of his drink then studied his father for a moment. 'Why do you even care? Why are you trying to give me advice?'

Big Gerry raised his eyebrows. 'I want to help you because you're my son.'

'You've never wanted to help me before.' he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, his posture defensive. 'Why now?'

'Because contrary to popular belief I actually care about you.' he rolled his eyes as if the answer was just so obvious. 'Olivia seems to make you happy and I want you to be happy. Why do you think I let you waste all those summers in California milking cows with your grandfather?'

Fitz wanted to debate whether or not his summers in California were a waste but he figured that would be a discussion for another day. It would be best to end this conversation on a high note so he stood from his seat and put the glass back on the counter with the rest of his father's alcohol.

'I guess I need to go talk to Olivia.' he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

'You do.' he nodded, his digits also combing through the hair on his scalp. Neither of them would ever admit how similar their mannerisms were.

* * *

A few hours later the family found themselves enjoying a movie in the theater room. Olivia managed to grab the empty seat in between his mother and Tiffany to try and avoid any awkwardness. Fitz couldn't lie and say that her subtle gesture didn't hurt a little. She had never tried to avoid him before and now he was feeling like he really messed up.

Halfway through The Princess Bride she got a phone call and excused herself. He thought about following her but decided to give her a few minutes to get off the phone. By the end of the movie she still hadn't come downstairs and everyone was getting ready to go to bed. Fitz walked inside his bedroom and heard the shower going so he decided to wait on the bed for her to come out.

No more than 20 minutes later she emerged into the bedroom in her sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her hair was still down but she had a band around her wrist to tie it up with. She moved right by Fitz without even looking in his direction to put her dirty clothes away.

'Livvie.' he started as he watched her open her suitcase to grab something out of it.

'I don't want to argue with you, Fitz.' she shook her head.

'We don't have to argue. We can just talk.' he suggested, walking closer to where she was.

'You don't know how to talk.' she said curtly.

'I deserved that.' he nodded and sat back down on the bed, knowing she would have to join him soon. 'But can we try again?'

Olivia sighed and shut her suitcase and sat on the floor directly across from him. She crossed her legs while working on her hair. 'What do you have to say?'

Fitz inhaled sharply, 'I know you have a way of doing things and I shouldn't have tried to demand you find a bodyguard. So for that, I apologize.'

She regarded him closely for a few moments, trying to ensure that he was being genuine. 'Apology accepted.'

'But I also want you to understand that I don't like you walking around unprotected when you know that it could be potentially dangerous people out there. What if somebody wanted to hurt you? Everybody looks like a fan when they're rushing up to you.'

'I've been doing this for years and nobody has ever tried to cause me any harm. You're overthinking this whole situation.'

'I'm not overthinking your safety.' he pressed his hands to his forehead, pushing his hair back. 'What if something happened to you, Olivia? What am I supposed to do then? How am I supposed to keep going if you're not here?' he asked, trying to hold in his emotions.

Olivia's expression immediately softened. She stood to her feet and walked over to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked defeated and vulnerable and it made her heart break for him. She was so used to just thinking about herself and what she felt was right she hadn't taken time to see how he really felt.

Fitz looked up to her, his eyes sincere and his voice somber. 'I don't want to lose you, Liv. I don't know what I'd do.' he admitted softly.

She took a step closer to him, standing in between his legs. Olivia hugged him, her arms around his head and his face in her tummy. 'You're not going to lose me, Fitz. I'm not going anywhere.' she said as reassuringly as she could. She raked her fingers through his hair as she tried to think of what to say next. 'Let's compromise.'

He nodded and released her body so that they could look at one another again. 'I agree.'

'Tomorrow you should come out with us. I wont need a bodyguard if you're with me. And I promise to look into having some type of protection for all of my major events. How's that sound?' she asked, cupping his cheeks in her hands.

'I like that.' he said with a light smile.

Olivia smiled back and leaned forward to take his lips, her kisses starting off slow and gentle until Fitz pulled her down on the bed. She hit the mattress in a fit of giggles as he moved on top of her, kissing all over her face. She pressed her hands against his chest in an attempt to stop him but he wouldn't relent. He managed to get her hands above her head and pinned them down with one hand while the other kept her head in place.

 _It was going to be another long night._

* * *

 **Back In Knights Ferry**

Max rubbed his stomach and groaned as he felt like he may be getting sick. He sat up but immediately regretted it as he felt like he was in a daze. It felt like he room was spinning as he took in his surroundings. Everyone had spent the night at the farm the previous night and they had a game night in the living room. They had all been drinking and he could see now that the initially calm party had turned into something a bit more wild.

They had made a huge mess and there was bottles and cans everywhere. Max had long forgotten about Percy and he was in his cage pacing around and whimpering, begging to be taken out. He rushed over to the cage and released him and let him go outside to handle his business then groaned as he remembered all the other chores he had to do that day. Maybe inviting everyone over hadn't been the best of ideas. After Percy got done in the yard he trotted back to the door and stood beside Max. Before he could make another move he peed right on his foot.

'What the hell?' he jerked back, his nose scrunched up. Now he had _another_ mess to clean up.

Percy smugly walked past the door and the other sleeping teenagers and into the kitchen where his food bowl was set up on a timer. He was really missing Olivia especially since he wasn't getting the attention he was used to with Max around. He was getting a little anxious waiting on her to return.

Max sighed and shook his head and hobbled over grab some tissues off of Fitz's desk. When he made it to the office area he realized that someone had pulled some of his books down and he nearly pulled his hair out. One of the last things Fitz told him was to not touch anything in his study and now here his friends were _touching stuff_. He cleaned his foot off then walked over to where everyone was still passed out on the floor and sofas. He took one of the books that he gotten pulled out and dropped it on the coffee table and everyone jumped up.

'Max what the hell?' one of his friends groaned loudly, his hangover in full effect.

'Everybody get up and help me clean up this mess.' he demanded. 'Dr. Grant is going to kill me if he finds out what happened then he's going to come for you all next.'

All of the kids grunted and complained as they stood to their feet and started picking up their trash. Max went inside the kitchen to grab some trash bags when he noticed something was a little off. He gasped when he realized that the door to the basement was wide open. He knew that that was the doorway to Fitz's lab but he was sure that it was locked. He threw the garbage bags into the living room, barely noticing that he bopped Hooter in the head with them, then slowly treaded to the basement door to see who was down there. He took the stairs one by one as he prepared to physically attack whichever one of his friends that was dumb enough to come down here.

Right as he made it to the final step his cellphone began to ring in his pocket. His breath hitched as he read the caller id and realized that it was Fitz.

 _It was going to be a long day._

* * *

 _A/N: Finallly an update. I know I cant make excuses for myself but life has definitely caught up with me. I'm in my senior year in school and I'm working hard on managing everything. As usual I'd like to thank you for your continued support of all of my stories. I know I say this after every chapter but it absolutely means the world to me.  
_

 _A lot of you all expressed your concerns for Max at the ranch but don't worry, Fitz will still have a home and farm to come back to after his vacation. Max and his friends are generally good kids but they definitely have a lot of maturing and growing up to do._

 _That's all I have for you right now. As usual I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review to tell me your thoughts! If you have any questions then you can always tweet me lynalexandria. It's easier for me to respond there considering I don't get notifications when you PM me on the website. Also I hope everyone had a very happy holiday season! Until next time!_


	17. Doux Bébé

**NSFW**

* * *

 **Knights Ferry**

Max sat outside on the steps of the farmhouse with his face in his hands. He hadn't even thought about all the work that had to be done around the ranch and his head was already killing him. His friends were cleaning up the mess on the inside and Hooter said he would assist on some of the chores that needed to be done.

He emerged from the house 5 minutes later. Hooter didn't own any farming clothes so he borrowed some stuff he found in one of Fitz's drawers and a pair of his old boots that were at least 2 sizes too big for him that made him stomp more than walk. It put a whole new meaning of having 'Big shoes to fill'. The clothes were almost falling off of him but it was his only option at this point. 'Hey Max, do I look like Dr. G?' he asked, outstretching his arms so he could get a good look at him.

'Stop fooling around, Hoot.' Max rolled his eyes and stood up then took the list that Olivia made for him out of his back pocket. 'Miss Olivia left me some notes on how to do things so we need to follow the instructions. No more screwing up.' he insisted.

'Aye aye, Captain Max.' he boomed and dramatically saluted him.

Max's eyes rolled again. He and Hooter had been the best of friends since they were in diapers and he loved him dearly but sometimes he just wanted to punch him in his throat. It never ceased to amaze him that he could be so casual when he knew that his life was on the line. There was no doubt in his mind that Fitz would strangle him and hide his body somewhere in the fields if he knew what had been going on at the house for the past 48 hours.

 _Obviously_ that would never happen but Max didn't know that.

'Let's just go.' he said as he led him off of the porch.

The boys spent the rest of the day watering the fields, picking a few vegetables, tending to the animals, and whatever else needed to be done. They weren't sure how Fitz made it look so easy when they felt like their backs were about to break. By the time they made it back to the house the only person still there was Max's girlfriend Shannon. She had spent her day scrubbing the house from top to bottom and trying to coax Percy into taking a bath but she was highly unsuccessful. He was now hiding under the coffee table and out of her reach.

She stood up when she heard the boys come into the house and stopped them before they could sit down. 'Don't you dare.' she warned. 'I've spent all day cleaning up around here and the last thing I need is two stinky boys sitting on the couches.'

'Shannon.' Max groaned as if he was in agony. 'We're tired. We just want to sit down for a few minutes.'

Shannon sucked her teeth and shook her head. 'I don't care. Go shower first then come sit down. I made dinner for you both.'

Both of the boys whined and moaned as they made their way up the stairs to get out of their dirty clothes and Shannon went back to her task although Percy hadn't budged at all. He was only just starting to get used to being handled by Fitz and he didn't appreciate all of the strangers in the house. The anxiety and tension was growing in his little body with every passing moment. Obviously he didn't know exactly where Olivia had gone but he wished she was there with him.

Percy stood to his feet and made a mad dash by Shannon, narrowly escaping her grasp. He ran up the stairs to Fitz's bedroom and began scratching at the door in hopes of somebody letting him in. He started whimpering loudly as he realized that nobody was coming to get him.

Shannon scooped the small dog up in her arms, holding him away from her fingers so he wouldn't nip at her. Max told her that Fitz said the only person he liked was Olivia so she wasn't expecting too much cooperation. 'It's bath time, Percy.' she hummed as soothingly as possible.

* * *

 **D.C.**

Fitz was awoken by a mixture of the bright sunlight gleaming from the curtains and something tickling his nose. He tried to swat it away but it pressed up against his face once more and it seemed as if something was in his mouth. He allowed his eyes to ease open and realized that all of Olivia's hair was covering his face and entire pillow. His reflex reaction was to suck in air but it made it 100x worse. He jerked away and rubbed his face, trying to recover.

They had fall asleep together after a quick round of makeup sex the previous night and every moment of it was glorious. Olivia had tied her hair up in a loose bun but she had obviously lost her hair tie at some point during the night and this was the result. They had fallen asleep in a comfortable spooning position but he decided he'd just lay on his back for the next few hours. He used his fingers to try and get some of the hair off of his tongue but was only having a little success.

Olivia felt the moment his arms were no longer cradling her body and she rolled over on her side to search for him. It wasn't often that they got to spend their mornings together so she wanted to savor every second of it. She snuggled herself into his side and picked his arm up and placed it around her waist. Fitz groaned when she accidentally flipped her hair back in his face.

He turned over once more so that he now had his back turned to her and pulled the covers up above his shoulders. Olivia rubbed her eyes and huffed as she realized he was trying to get away from her. 'You don't want to cuddle with me?' she mumbled as pitifully as possible, almost making Fitz's heart break.

'No. You're trying to murder me in my sleep.' he said, trying to stand his ground.

She smirked and scooted up behind him and threw her leg over his waist and her arm around his body and began laying kisses on his cheek. Her hair naturally fell in his face again and he groaned. 'Come cuddle with me.' she whined.

'Little woman.' he grunted and started to roll out of her embrace until he was at the end of the bed. 'I'm trying to get away from you.'

'Fine.' she huffed and got off him, her bottom lip poked out it a pout. She was about to go back over to her side of the bed until she thought of a brilliant plan. Fitz only had on a pair of boxers to sleep in so she bent her knees and placed the soles of her feet against his bare back knowing that they were freezing cold. She snickered as he began to wriggle and squirm but she wouldn't relent.

Fitz howled at the sudden temperature drop and hopped out of bed, scrambling to make his escape. He pressed his hands against his now cold skin and turned to her. She was laying on the bed caught in the middle of a giggle fit. Of course she thought that it was absolutely hilarious that she could make him scream. 'You think this is funny?'

'That's it!' he hissed and reached for the comforter and pulled it down so that she was no longer covered. She was only wearing a pair of gray panties and her favorite Star Wars t-shirt and her hair was still splayed all over the pillow. Fitz hopped on the bed and got on top of her and started tickling her sides.

'Noooo! No! No!' she squealed loudly and began wriggling all around to try and get away from him but it was no use. He had her trapped and she wasn't going anywhere until he felt like it. 'Stop!'

'Say you're sorry!' he demanded as he watched her struggle, refusing to show her any mercy. It was unusual for Olivia to be this happy and excited this early in the morning so he was going to take full advantage of it. If he had tried this any other day he would've surely lost a hand by now.

'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' she choked out as her face started to turn red.

Fitz smirked but decided to ease up on her so that she could catch her breath. Without warning Olivia grabbed the pillow beside her that he had been sleeping on and smacked him with it as hard as she could. He tried shielding his body away but she was too fast. She quickly scrambled off of the bed and made a mad dash towards the bathroom so that she could lock herself in it but he came after her.

Once he caught up with Olivia he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder with ease. He walked them back over to the bed and threw her on top of it before pouncing on her again. They spent the next hour or so horse playing and laughing more than ever. It felt refreshing to know that even after these months of dating they could both still laugh and play like two teenagers who were sick in love. The past few weeks had been so busy for the both of them it was hard to remember that they were the same couple that had a whipped cream fight on their first date and slept in pillow forts while watching cartoons on their second. Work kept them wrapped up in their individual lives so to have a couple minutes like this was refreshing.

If he was being completely honest with himself he had to assume that it was the vacation that was bringing the best of them out. They were spending more time together than ever and without the added stress of their demanding careers they were able to focus more on each other. Sure they had had an argument the night before but it was resolved quickly and now they both felt better than ever. As long as he got to see that pretty smile of hers every morning he knew they'd be alright.

'I hate you.' she murmured, bringing him out of his thoughts. He was on top of her and he had her hands pinned down on either side of her head. Her chest was heaving and her body warm from all of the running around and playing but _God_ she was beautiful.

'I hate you more.' he responded before leaning down to take her lips.

No more than 10 minutes later the couple emerged from their bedroom to go downstairs and eat breakfast. As soon as Fitz shut the door behind him Olivia said ' _I bet you can't beat me down the stairs_ ' and a race had begun. They both started running to get to the kitchen but Fitz had already decided to let her win. Not only did he know it would stroke her ego but she was cute when she gloated. She would march around with her head held high and there was an extra pep in her step and he loved it.

'Hold it you two!' Angie yelled at the bottom step with her hands up to stop them. She was still in her pajamas but had put on a long silk robe on top and her hair was in large pink rollers.

Fitz and Olivia both stopped in their tracks about midway down the stairs. They looked at each other then back at Angie, now feeling like two children who had been scolded.

'No running down the stairs! You may fall and hurt yourselves!' she fussed in a motherly tone, completely ignoring the fact that she was yelling at two adults.

'It was Olivia's idea.' Fitz accused and pointed to her.

Olivia's jaw dropped in absolute shock that he had ratted her out. _This jerk._ 'You tattle tale.' she playfully jabbed and stuck her tongue out at him.

'It doesn't matter who started it! I'm finishing it!' she boomed as powerfully as she could. She had never been good at disciplining the children, that was more of her husband's job, so she was sure she didn't sound too intimidating.

'Yes, ma'am.' Fitz said as they walked the rest of the way down the stairs. As soon as they made it to the bottom he took off running once more.

'Fitz your mom said no running it the house!' Olivia yelled after him.

'She said no running down the stairs!' he called back.

She gasped and went after him although she knew she was going to lose at this point. Angie sucked her teeth and shook her head, trying her best not to smile. She had never seen Fitz this happy before and it made her heart want to melt. For a while she was worried that he wouldn't be able to find anyone that could make him smile this wide and she assumed he'd just die alone on that nasty farm of his. In her eyes Olivia had saved her son. Without a second thought she turned around and went to the small storage room that was connected to their garage. She had a gift she needed to give her son and she didn't want to wait any longer to do it.

Once everyone made it to the breakfast nook they shared breakfast at the family's dining table. Big Gerry, as usual, spent his meal time flirting with his wife and making her giggle while Teddy played games on his phone. Tiffany had been posting pictures of her meal and blogging about her morning thus far. Fitz wasn't sure why so many people followed her just to hear about all the mundane details of her life but since it made her happy he wasn't going to knock it.

'So Olivia we need to leave in like 2 hours to get to the meeting on time.' Tiffany said, barely looking up from her phone screen as she spoke. She was finally getting used to having her around and she didn't even feel the urge to blog about Olivia's outfit that morning.

Olivia's eyebrows raised. 'It's this early in the morning?'

'Ya.' she nodded her head. 'This is actually pretty late. We usually get up early and hold them at 7am.'

She almost choked when she heard how early they held their book club meetings. Olivia couldn't imagine being awake at 7 in the morning let alone having to discuss a book. 'Damn.' she mumbled.

Angie's head shot up quickly as soon as the word left Olivia's mouth. She hopped up from her seat and rushed over to the counter and grabbed a jar then came back to the table with it in her hands. She had the biggest grin on her face as she shook it around in front of her. 'You have to put a dollar in the swear jar, Olivia.'

Teddy groaned. 'Mom that doesn't count. Olivia didn't know the rule.'

'What rule?' she asked, eyebrow now cocked.

Tiffany scoffed. 'Mom wants to get a cat so she's been saving up money in the swear jar to buy one. She's about to sucker you out of a dollar.'

Olivia snickered. Only the Grants could come up with something as silly as this. Anybody else may have been annoyed about having to pay up because of a curse word but she loved the idea. Her family would have never accepted something like this so it felt good to participate in their little rituals now matter how crazy. This is what she always imagined her family being like; carefree and fun loving. Her parents and brothers and sisters were all cold, meticulous, workaholics and she had never fit in with them but she felt right at home with Fitz's family.

'I actually don't have any ones on me but I think I have a $20 in my purse upstairs. Will that suffice?' she asked with a coy smile, knowing that would rile her up.

Angie nearly squealed. 'That'll give me just enough to get it!'

Big Gerry had only been halfway listening to their conversation before he nearly spit his coffee out. He had always hated cats so he started this absurd bet up with his wife years ago but he never anticipated her getting all the money to get one. They already had 4 dogs so he really couldn't imagine having another pet running around the house. He lightly touched his wife's arm but he knew that there was no reasoning with her now. Once his Angel put her mind to something the devil himself couldn't drag her away from it.

'Sweetheart are you sure we want to bring another animal in the house?' he asked, hoping to change her mind.

'Yes!' she smiled and sat down in her seat. 'I need to start thinking of names and I need to go to the pet store and pick up a few items!' she said excitedly.

Teddy groaned from his seat. 'Thanks a lot, Liv. I thought having one big sister around was annoying enough but you proved me wrong.' he said teasingly.

Olivia snorted at their dramatics and turned her attention back down to her food while she listened to Big Gerry and Teddy complain to her and explain all the reasons why they shouldn't get a cat. Fitz tried to tell them to ease off on her but she seemed to be holding her own. Angie, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. It was amazing to see how well she fit into her small family as they all argued back and fourth about how this whole situation was Olivia's fault. She had only been there for two days and it was already hard to imagine life before her being around. She reached down in the pocket of her robe until she gripped the box she had placed in there and knew she couldn't wait any longer.

Angela stood to her feet abruptly, interrupting their conversation. 'I'm about to shower and get ready to start my day. Thomas can you please escort me upstairs?' she batted her eyelashes sweetly at Fitz then held her arm out for him to take.

Fitz's eyebrows cocked.' You need an escort upstairs? Since when?' he asked as he stood to his feet and wrapped his arm around hers.

'I'm getting older, Thomas. Those stairs are difficult to navigate.' she complained before kissing the top of Big Gerry's head then leading Fitz out of the room.

He rolled his eyes when she said something about being old. She constantly flip flopped between being young enough to still the 'the cool mom' and old enough to die of old age if she wanted to guilt somebody into doing something. _Apparently_ today she was old. Once they made it to her bedroom she opened the door and pulled Fitz inside. His nose crinkled as he stepped in the doorway. He hadn't been in his parent's room since he was a teenager and he definitely wasn't expecting to be in there this morning. It hadn't changed much, though. There was plush gray carpet and a huge tv mounted on the wall for his father. The maids kept it neat and tidy but they had a pile of clothes in one of the corners.

'Alright, mom, why'd you call me in here?' Fitz asked.

Angie walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge then patted the spot beside her. 'Have a seat, Tom.'

'Alright.' he said as he eyed her suspiciously. He walked over and took the seat beside his mother. Fitz's mind always went to the worst case scenario first so now he was getting a little nervous. The only thing he could think about was seeing his mother sick and in the hospital and it almost made him want to puke.

'Thomas I—' Angie started.

'Am dying?' he finished with a nervous gulp, his hands nearly trembling.

'What?' she asked, now amused. Angie reached out and cupped her son's face in her hands and squeezed his cheeks together. 'Even as a child you had such a wild imagination. I see you haven't grown out of it.'

'Is there something wrong, mom?' he asked, placing his hands on her wrists and looking her in the eyes as he searched for answers. 'Are you sick? Do you need blood?'

'Shush, Tommy.' she giggled softly and shook her head. Fitz would always complain about how dramatic she and Tiffany were but would fail to see how similar he was to them. 'Could you just let me speak for the next 60 seconds?'

Fitz slowly nodded his head and pulled his face out of his mother's hand. She was always a cheery and bubbly person but something seemed kind of off with her right then. She still looked happy but there was some seriousness in her tone that he wasn't used to.

'Sorry.' he mumbled. 'What did you have to tell me?'

'Well, I really have something to give you.' she said as she pulled her wrists out of his large hands then reached down into her pocket. 'This is very important so I need your full attention, alright?'

Fitz eagerly nodded his head. He really wanted his mother to just say what she had to say so that the knots forming in his stomach would settle. He watched as Angie pulled out a small box from her pocket. It was silver but the old container had obviously seen better days. His mother put it in his hands and he studied it curiously.

'What is this, mom?' he questioned as he turned it over and inspected it.

'Open it, Tommy.' she encouraged as she tried to keep herself from tearing up.

Fitz opened the box revealing a gold ring that had been carved into two separate circles with a single line that connected them. He picked it up out of the box and held it in between his fingers as he waited for his mother to explain.

'It's a ring.' she chuckled humorlessly as soon as the words left her mouth because _obviously_ he knew it was a ring. She was nervous although she couldn't figure out why for the life of her. 'Very old. Rare. One of a kind. It even has a name— doux bébé. It was my grandmother's. Her father bought it for her at an auction in Paris and she wore it to her debutante ball. It's been passed down since her death and I ended up with it after my father died.'

'W.. Why are you giving this to me, mom?' he asked, finally looking up from the ring and to his mother. 'Why now?'

'Because I want you to have it.' she explained, her tone sincere. 'I've seen you date other girls but nobody puts a smile on your face more than Olivia does. When I saw you two running down the stairs today I almost thought you were 10 again. I'm not saying that you have to give it to Olivia but it's supposed to go to somebody special and I can tell she's special. A mother just knows.'

'She is, mom. She really is.' he nodded his head in agreement. Olivia was definitely his something special. He regarded the ring closely as he started to imagine how her dainty little finger would look sporting it. _Perfect._ 'Doux bébé, huh?'

'It means sweet baby.' she said, glancing down and appreciating the way her son's fingers seemed to effortlessly roll it around and study it. She knew she had made the right decision but it didn't make her any less emotional. She had never wore the ring and hadn't told anyone else about it. It was just sitting in her jewelry box near the bottom for safekeeping. Honestly she wasn't sure how she hadn't burst into tears yet.

'You want me to call a ring sweet baby?' his eyebrows raised and they both shared a small, breathless laugh.

'You can call it whatever you want, Thomas. I just want you to be happy.' she smiled softly. 'I don't want to pressure you but if you're going to give it to Olivia then—'

'I'm going to give it to Olivia.' he confirmed and nodded his head. He couldn't imagine anybody else having it at this point. In his opinion there would be no one else after her. If he were to ever lose her he'd just be alone.

'I really want to see her wear it.' she requested. 'It's okay if you want to wait till another time, I don't want to rush you, but it would make me happy. At least send pictures or maybe come back for a visit?'

Fitz nodded his head again as he shut the box and put it inside of his pocket. He wanted to give it to her as soon as possible but he also wanted to wait until the moment was right. He wanted everything to be perfect about the moment he slipped it on her finger.

'You really love her, don't you Tommy?' Angie asked, taking his hand again and bringing him out of his thoughts.

'I do. I love her more than anything. Olivia is my everything.' he smiled. 'I wouldn't know how to love without her. It's like she came to Knights Ferry and turned my world upside down. Nothing has been the same since I've met her and I feel like every passing minute gets better.' he said honestly. This was his first time ever being so open about his true feelings towards her and it felt good to get it off his chest to somebody else.

'Well,' she took a breath. 'then she's family. She's going to be family. We're going to love Olivia. She's a good woman, Tom. I hope nothing tears you away from her.'

'Thank you, mom. Thank you for everything.' he said before leaning in and pressing his forehead against Angie's.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Before she could speak again there was a hard knock on the bedroom door followed by somebody trying to open it. They could hear Big Gerry groan loudly, completely unaware of the moment being shared on the other side of the door. 'First we have to get a cat and now I'm locked out of my own room?' he complained.

Angie chuckled. 'Your father is such an impatient man. Much like you I must say.'

'Angel.' Big Gerry whined and knocked on the door again.

Fitz chuckled and stood up to let his father in then went to his bedroom. Olivia was in the shower with the door shut so he dashed over to his suitcase to hide the ring out of site. He checked his watch to see how much time they had left before they needed to go then grabbed a condom and decided to join her in the bathroom.

* * *

45 minutes later Olivia and Fitz had left the house and were headed to a small shopping area close to Georgetown while Tiffany went ahead of them to help setup for the other book club members to arrive. She took her responsibilities as president very seriously and she wanted everything to be absolutely perfect for the day. Olivia swore that she didn't have anything decent to wear and had insisted on them stopping to pick out an outfit. Usually she would have emergency clothes packed for some type of fan meet up but she wasn't expecting a situation like this to pop up. They saw a J. Crew and they went in there and Fitz followed behind her while she shopped.

Obviously Fitz had heard of these brands before but since he had been in Knights Ferry so long he hadn't even realized how expensive they were. He nearly choked when he picked up a pair of jeans with a $200 price tag. They looked like a regular pair of jeans to him but he knew better than to question her fashion choices.

Once she had a good amount of things to try on she went to the dressing room and left Fitz sitting in a chair right outside of it. It seemed to serve as some type of 'boyfriend hangout' because those were the only people sitting over there. All 5 men shot a knowing look at one another before going back to what they were originally doing. He opted to check some emails as he sat in the uncomfortably fluffy chair with Olivia's oversized Michael Kors blush pink handbag in his lap. He wasn't sure why she needed something so big when it seemed like she only ever carried her phone and wallet but, again, he knew better than to question it.

'Fitzgerald?' somebody with a thick southern accent called out loudly from the other side of the store and his head popped up. 'Fitz is that you?

Fitz's face lit up as he met eyes with who was calling his name. He managed to struggle and get out of the seat and naturally threw Olivia's bag over his shoulder as he walked closer to the man. 'Hollis Doyle as I live and breathe! How are you?'

'Couldn't be better!' the man said before they wrapped each other in a small hug. He noticed the bag on Fitz's shoulder and chuckled. 'Nice bag you got there, boy. It really brings out the color of your eyes.' he teased, batting his eyelashes.

He glared at his old friend. 'I could say the same.' he said, gesturing down to the hot pink colored baby bag that he was wearing as a cross body.

Both men shot dirty looks at one another before bursting into laughter once more. Fitz hadn't seen Hollis in person since they graduated from graduate school together at Mississippi State. Hollis left to receive his PhD in another state but Fitz insisted on staying there. Not only was he a loyal bulldog until the end but he was also in a serious relationship at the time and he didn't want to leave his girlfriend behind. He found it laughable that he even thought about marrying her at some point and not waiting for Olivia to come along.

'Aren't you still doing research in California? What in the hell are you doing all the way out here in the big city?' he asked, playfully jabbing him with his elbow.

'I'm here visiting my family for the holidays.' he explained with a smile. 'And what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Kentucky raising corn.'

Hollis snorted and waved his hand, dismissing the thought. 'I did that and I loved it but I had to give it up. I live here now near Navy Yard with Becca and my baby girl LuAnn.'

Fitz chuckled. Hollis was always a sucker for old traditional southern names so LuAnn sounded perfect for any child of his. 'So you and Becca actually got married? Can't believe she got you to settle down.'

'It wasn't too tough. It was either settle down or she'd bop me in my head. My choice was obvious.' both men shared a laugh at his comment. 'What about you? You and Trixie ever tie the knot?'

His nose crinkled at the sound of her name. 'Oh no. We broke it off almost as soon as I got into the PhD program. I'm here with my girlfriend.' he smiled and pulled his phone out and showed Hollis his lock screen which was a picture he had snapped of Olivia in the barn bottle feeding one of the calves. She was wearing one of his old t-shirts, a pair of yoga pants and the work boots he bought her. Her hair was tied into a tight ponytail and she had on one of his baseball caps to help ward off the hot sun. She had hated the picture, noting that she was sweaty and that he hadn't gotten her good side, but he loved it.

Hollis whistled. 'How in the world did somebody as ugly and dumb as you manage to actually find a woman?'

Fitz smirked. 'I guess she's just in it for the money.' he joked. 'You said you had to give up the farm? What happened?' he asked curiously.

He smiled. 'It was getting to be too much. I felt like I was missing out on everything. Being on the farm meant that Becca would have to stay at the house by herself all day and we'd never see each other in the mornings and she'd usually be asleep by the time I made it back inside. Then when Lulu was born I knew I needed to make a change. I missed her first steps because I was out there collecting samples.' he shook his head, still angry at himself. 'So now I teach some classes at the high schools and universities in the area.'

His eyebrow cocked. 'They're letting you help shape the minds of the next generation? Mr. Run naked in the middle of the student union for a Twinkie?'

Hollis nearly killed himself laughing as he remembered how wild he was back in college. 'They don't know about all of that. It's a good gig, though. I get to spend my mornings at home with my girls and I'm home by dinner every night. Becca has been so much happier since we moved.'

Fitz regarded his old friend closely for a few moments. He hadn't even considered if Olivia was happy with the hours he worked although he made sure to spend every moment he got with her. He had had the same schedule for so long it hadn't even occurred to him to change it. He had to admit that being able to wake up to her smiling face in the mornings had felt like heaven for the past few days.

'And you don't miss it?'

'I did at first.' he said honestly. 'But I realized that I missed my family even more. I'd give it all up 100 more times as long as I had them.'

Before Fitz could respond he felt someone touch his wrist. He smiled when he realized that it was Olivia and he wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her forward. 'Liv, this is my old friend, Hollis. Hollis, this is my girlfriend Olivia.'

'Wow. Such a small world.' she reached out to shake Hollis' hand and smirked. 'Old friend? So you know a lot of embarrassing stories about Fitz that he wont tell me?'

'Well, shit fire little lady.' he grinned widely. He knew enough about Fitz to make him want to move out of the country. 'I could talk for hours about all the stuff your boyfriend did back in college.'

Fitz blushed. He was always more of a nerdy guy back in school but he did have his fair share of experiences that he wanted to bury in the ground. 'Alright, alright that's enough. Are you ready to check out, Livvie?'

'Yes.' she shot him a grin. She thought he was adorable when he blushed. 'I just need my bag.' Olivia gestured to her purse that he still had over his shoulder, wishing she had gotten a photo of him with it on.

'Right.' he nodded and handed it off to her.

'It was very nice meeting you, Hollis.' she smiled at him. 'I'll be sure to look you up so that we can chat one day.' she playfully winked at him, knowing that she was embarrassing Fitz.

Hollis chuckled. 'I'll be looking forward to it.' the two men watched as Olivia walked away and he waited until she was out of earshot to speak again. 'You plan on putting a ring on that anytime soon, Fitzgerald?'

'Soon and very soon.' he nodded his head. 'It's still kind of fresh and we have had a few small complications.' he commented as he thought about all of the drama they had been dealing with with Mellie and Jake back at home. 'I don't want to pressure her into anything but I believe that Olivia Pope will be my wife.' he said honestly. He'd scream it out of the rooftop if he wasn't afraid of freaking her out.

'Good man.' he grinned and patted his shoulder. 'You know you should consider a teaching job. It's a lot less stressful on the back and I could sure use a little help around here teaching these classes. There aren't a lot of people willing to come out here so the pay is good.'

Fitz was momentarily at a loss for words. He had never even considered giving up his life in Knights Ferry let alone teaching. 'I don't think so, Hollis. I feel like I'm really progressing with my research and if I were to teach I'd most likely go back down to Mississippi.'

Hollis rolled his eyes. 'Still a loyal bulldog, I see.'

'Hail State.' he grinned and nudged him.

'Well, please feel free to contact me if you ever change your mind. I've been reading your research articles and I must say they're pretty good. Excellent if I had to be honest. We could really use somebody like you challenging young minds.'

'I'll definitely keep your offer in mind.' he nodded his head.

As Olivia made her way back over to where they were the couple made their exit and started heading over to where the book club meeting would be held. It was only one Metro stop away so they decided to just walk since it was a pretty day outside. She was trying to have a conversation with him but Fitz had a lot on his mind. Sure he loved his farm and doing research but he wondered if they'd be happier if he got a normal job so they could live a normal life.

'Baby what's wrong?' Olivia asked, grabbing his attention and bringing him out of his thoughts. She had been around him long enough to know when he had something on his mind and it was pretty obvious now.

Fitz looked down and couldn't help but to take in how beautiful her face was— her cute little nose, her large brown and expressive eyes, her plump lips that he loved to kiss, and her smooth cocoa skin. She was so perfect he couldn't help but smile. She had her arms wrapped around his bicep as they walked through the busy sidewalk and her hip was pressed into his.

'Nothing. Everything is perfect.' he leaned down to kiss her nose and she smiled back at him.

He didn't know the right thing to do at this point but his main goal was to keep her happy and smiling like she was right then. If she was happy then everything else would work itself out.

* * *

 **6 Days Later - Fourth of July**

The 1st Annual Grant Family Fourth of July Extravaganza had been a lot less extravagant than what Angie had originally planned. Everyone in the family mostly slept in all day but they all met downstairs for a late lunch. She had hired a caterer to come in and prepare a few dishes while Fitz would be taking care of the meat on the grill since it was something he enjoyed to do anyway. There was a pool in the backyard that mostly stayed covered but they opened it up so that they could all sit around in it. It was a hot day in DC but it was going to cool off later on that night.

Fitz had originally planned on taking Olivia to the capitol to see the fireworks that evening once the sun went down but he quickly changed his mind when he remembered how hectic it could be to get there. Getting an Uber would be almost impossible and he was positive that the Metro was going to be packed. He was trying his best not to be so uptight about her being in public but the thought of them being harassed during the capitol's most popular holiday made him uneasy.

They could still see the show from his parent's backyard in Georgetown and they both agreed it would be nice to spend their last night in the city relaxing. They were scheduled to leave early the next morning to go back to California and it was very bittersweet for him. He felt like he had really bonded with his family and her over the past few days and he knew that it would be business as usual once he made it back to the ranch.

The staff had washed all of their clothes and packed them back up in the suitcases so that they'd be ready to go. Olivia had gone on a mini shopping spree while they were visiting so she had to stuff her new clothes in his bag since hers was already full. Fitz hadn't realized how much she liked to shop but he made a mental note to take her more often once they made it home. They could visit Sacramento and go to her favorite stores and it would serve as a nice distraction from Knights Ferry.

He had opted for a simple pair of board shorts to wear during the day to help ward off the heat. His mother had insisted on spraying all of them down with sun screen so his skin felt a little sticky but he tried his best to ignore it. She had been hugging and kissing on him all day long so that she could 'get it all out of her system' before he left. He wanted to be annoyed but he couldn't even manage to frown. He hadn't even realized how much he was missed until a few days ago and he kind of felt bad for staying away too long.

 _Kind of._

It was 4 in the afternoon and the sun was still beaming but overall it was a pretty day outside. The only person who hadn't come out of the house yet was Olivia but he was patient. He had never gotten a chance to see her with a bathing suit on so he was very interested in whatever she was about to come down with. He saw her buy a bikini at one of the stores they went to but she hadn't let him see it so now his curiosity was getting the best of him.

No more than 20 minutes later the backdoor slid open and Fitz's jaw nearly dropped. It was a bikini, nothing too sexy, but it was all white with strings that held the bottom together. She was obviously wearing some type of padding in the bra piece because her nipple piercings weren't showing but her tattoos were on full display. He was glad that they were only around family today because he was sure that he'd have to wring somebody's neck if they were out in public.

Olivia noticed his facial expression as soon as she walked on the back porch and couldn't help but smile to herself. This was the exact reaction she was looking for. She knew he'd be all over her as soon as they made it back to the bedroom and they'd both sleep peacefully on the flight back home.

She walked over to where he was standing by the grill and wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed his shoulder softly. 'Whatcha making?' she asked curiously.

He cleared his throat then wrapped his arm around her waist and picked up the tongues in his other hand before turning over a piece of chicken. 'Ribs, chicken, some vegetables and I have a few other things that need to go on.'

'Mmmmm.' she hummed her approval as she felt her stomach tighten. Fitz was an excellent cook whether he wanted to admit it or not and she had been craving some barbecue. 'Well, aren't you just my little personal chef?'

He chuckled and shook his head before returning the tongues to their holster and grabbing his beer he had sitting over to the side. 'Want me to teach you?'

'Yes!' she smiled and nodded her head excitedly.

Fitz grabbed her waist and pulled her in front of him so that his chest was pressed into her back and she stood between him and the grill. He gave her the tongues then held his hand over hers and rested his chin on her shoulder. He placed a few kisses on the side of her face and wrapped his free arm around her torso.

Olivia giggled. 'I thought you were supposed to be teaching me how to grill?'

'Dammit woman I'm trying to charm you. Shush.' he playfully demanded, making her laugh again. He guided her hand towards a piece of meat and helped her flip it over and they watched it sizzle for a few moments before moving on to the next piece.

Big Gerry had been sitting off to the side drinking his beer and watching his youngest two children play in the pool when he noticed how cozy Olivia and Fitz were getting by the grill. He still wasn't sure what backlash he'd be getting with a black daughter-in-law but he was working on pushing that into the back of his head. He had never seen Fitz so happy and carefree and it was pretty amazing to watch. He looked on as Fitz's fingers moved to her waist and he started tickling her and she struggled to remove herself from his embrace. They reminded him so much of him and his Angel when they were young and madly in love and it warmed his heart. Olivia seemed like a good woman and she was starting to rub off on Big Gerry. At this point she felt more like a Grant than just another visitor in their home.

He stood up and walked over to the grill to check on them. 'Looking good, Thomas.' he commented, looking down at the meat.

'Thanks.' he smiled and nodded his head before shutting the top down for now. It wouldn't have to be flipped again for a while.

'You know, Olivia, I taught Tom here everything he knows about cooking and grilling.' he teased with a wink. The truth was that Gerry knew absolutely nothing about cooking but he enjoyed messing with his son.

Fitz snorted. 'Seriously, old man?'

'Very serious.' he said, adding extra base in his voice for emphasis.

'Livvie, this is the man who set the kitchen on fire when I was 10 because he thought you could put a metal fork in the microwave. He is not a cook.' Fitz reminded.

Olivia burst into laughter and Gerry gave them both a look as if he was hurt. He held his hand up to his chest and scoffed. 'I didn't set the kitchen on fire. Just the microwave.'

'That's not much better.' Fitz countered with a chuckle. 'He also burned water on the stove.'

She was almost crying now she was laughing so hard. 'How do you burn water?'

Big Gerry's bottom lip poked out as if he was pouting. 'I didn't come over here to be made fun of. I'm going back to my chair.' he turned on his heel to walk away.

'Aw, we're sorry.' Olivia giggled and reached out to grab his arm and walk after him but Fitz took a firm grip on her waist and pulled her back into his body.

'Oh no you don't!' Fitz shouted, halting her movements. 'You're not going anywhere.' he said, holding her tightly as she wriggled around.

'What do you plan on doing to me?' she asked, trying to push his arms down so that she could move.

Fitz picked her up off of her feet and started walking them towards the pool. As soon as she realized what he was doing she started kicking and screaming and laughing as she tried getting away from him. Sometimes she hated that he was so much stronger than her.

Once they made it to the edge of the water he stopped and looked down at her. 'Any last words, Miss Pope?'

'You're the worst boyfriend in the world!' she huffed loudly and wrapped her arms on top of his as she accepted her fate.

'Fair enough.' he shrugged before taking one more step then jumping in the pool and bringing her down with him.

The water from their fall splashed all over Tiffany and Teddy and as soon as they came back to the surface they started splashing them. The family spent the rest of the day playing around in the pool and eating as they waited for the fireworks to begin. Fitz had the ring wrapped up in his beach towel on his seat and he was eager to give it to her. His sister had been playing music and he already requested for her to play their song once the show started.

Fitz sat down in his seat and slid the ring box in his pocket before Olivia joined him in his chair. She had grabbed a blanket for them from inside the house so she wrapped it around their bodies before snuggling herself into his embrace. Her hair was still soaking wet from playing in the water but she had tied it up into a neat bun so it wouldn't drip everywhere. He liked her hair curly so she would just run some conditioner through it and braid it before she went to bed. She rested her legs on top of his and wrapped his arms around her body so that she could play with his fingers. It was honestly the perfect way to end such a perfect day.

As the sun started to go down and the clouds disappeared from the sky Olivia leaned back so that her head would rest on top of his shoulder. 'You want to know what I miss about Knights Ferry?'

'Tell me.' he cooed in her ear and kissed her bare shoulder.

'The stars.' she said honestly. 'You cant see any of them from here. It's funny how we take the little things for granted. I guess you don't miss the water until the well runs dry.' Olivia shrugged.

Fitz groaned in complaint. 'Here we go with those sayings again. Stop being such a nerd.' he teased.

Her eyes rolled. 'When we get home I'm making you read some literature.' she said with finality.

He smiled when she said the word 'home'. She said it all the time but it still made him happy knowing that she thought of his ranch as 'home'. He lived with Olivia Pope. 'Yes ma'am.' he acquiesced with a small smile.

After another hour or so they saw the first firework go up into the air and the whole family turned their attention towards the sky. They could hear people in their neighborhood all yelling and cheering as the show started but everybody in their yard just sat quietly. Tiffany had been playing her music the whole time but then skipped ahead in her playlist to find the song that Fitz requested.

 _This love is tainted_  
 _I need you and I hate it_  
 _You're caught between a dream_  
 _And a movie scene_  
 _In a way, you know what I mean_

 _When the dark turns to mist,_  
 _I just can't resist it_

'Hey.' she smiled softly and turned her neck so that she could face him as Zayn started to play over Tiffany's iHome speaker. 'This is our song.'

'What?' his nose crinkled as he pretended not to remember. 'This isn't it. I thought our song was Big Green Tractor by Jason Aldean.'

 _'Cause I'm a fool for you and the things you do_  
 _I'm a fool for you and the things, the things you do_  
 _The things you do, the things you do_

Olivia punched his thigh and he chuckled. 'You know this is our song.'

'I know I know.' he soothed and kissed her cheek and smiled. 'You know I really love you, right?' Fitz asked as he reached out to stroke on of her curls that had fallen to her face.

She nodded her head. 'I know. I love you too.'

 _When you're looking like this_  
 _I just can't resist it_  
 _I know sometimes I hide it_  
 _But I can't this time 'cause it's gonna defeat me_  
 _But you won't believe me, believe me_

'And, I wanted to give you something.' he said as he reached into his pocket to find the ring box. He pulled it out and slipped it into the palm of her hands and watched as she curiously studied it.

'Wow you got me a box?' she asked teasingly.

'Would you open it, little woman? You're killing the mood.' he chuckled and poked the ticklish spot on her side, causing her to flinch.

Olivia snickered and popped the box open. Her eyes widened when she saw it was a ring. She picked it up out of the cushion it was sitting in and studied it for a few moments. 'Fitz.. What's this for?'

'I want you to wear it.' he reached to rub the back of his head. He was nervous but he didn't know why. 'It's a family heirloom. My mom gave it to me and told me to give it to somebody special and I couldn't think of anyone better to wear it than you.'

She reached to stop the tear that was about to fall from her eyes. Fitz took the ring from her and took hold of her pointer finger on her left hand. He looked to her for approval and when she nodded her head he slid it down and said a silent prayer of thanks that it seemed to fit her just right.

 _'Cause I'm a fool for you and the things you do_  
 _I'm a fool for you and the things, the things you do_

He watched as she held the ring up in the air to see how it looked on her finger. Just as he suspected. _Perfect._ 'It's name is doux bébé. It means sweet baby.' he explained with a dreamy smile.

'It's beautiful, Fitz.' she said softly. 'I won't ever take it off.'

'One day, when we're both ready, I'm going to give you another ring. I know we need to wait but I wanted you to know that I love you and I'm ready to spend the rest of my days making you as happy as I can.' he confessed honestly.

'You already make me happy, Fitz.' she murmured softly. 'I couldn't be any happier.'

'Well, then my job just became pretty easy.' he said with a grin.

 _I know, I know given a chance I'd do it again_  
 _'Cause I can't help myself_  
 _'Cause I can't stop myself_  
 _I just love being a fool for you_

 _'Cause I'm a fool for you and the things you do_  
 _I'm a fool for you and the things, the things you do_

Olivia chuckled and shifted her body so that she could sit sideways in his lap. She took hold of both of his cheeks in her hands and pressed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. His mouth naturally fell open and she ran her tongue across his lips before it slithered past his labials. Fitz wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him, neither of them even paying attention to their surroundings anymore.

 _This love is tainted_

Everyone else in the family had their attention turned to the fireworks but Teddy just happened to turn his head to see what they were doing. He crinkled his nose and made over exaggerated gagging noises as he watched them nearly devour each other's faces. 'Get a room!' he yelled.

Fitz chortled against her lips but pulled away, taking a moment to breathe her in. They would definitely be finishing this up right after the show and saying goodnight to everyone. 'Teddy if you plan on coming to California with us then you need to get used to a little kissing.'

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to process what his brother had just said. He didn't think Olivia would be able to convince Fitz to change his mind and he had lost all hope of going to Knights Ferry. His face lit up brightly. 'Seriously?'

He smirked and nodded his head. After Olivia had told him about the conversation they had a few nights ago in the kitchen he decided that he'd give his brother a chance to redeem himself. Having a little extra help around the ranch wouldn't hurt and he trusted that Teddy wouldn't do too much to mess anything up.

At least he didn't hope so.

'Go pack a bag, Ted. Mom and dad are going to send the rest of your things. You're coming to California.' he sat back in his seat. He was still just a little uneasy about the situation but he was happy that he could make Teddy light up like this.

Teddy looked back to his parents for confirmation and they both nodded their heads, letting him know they were onboard with the situation. Before another word could be spoken he jumped out of his seat and ran into the house to start packing. He didn't think he had been this excited for anything in his life.

'You're such a good big brother.' Olivia smiled and kissed his cheek.

'I try.' he sighed happily and adjusted his body so that he could wrap the blanket back around their bodies while they sat back to enjoy the last of the fireworks.

* * *

No more than an hour later everyone had their goodnights and gone off to their bedrooms. Olivia let Fitz shower first since she knew it would take her a few extra minutes to prepare herself. She co-washed her hair with her conditioner and braided it into two long braids and settled them on either side of her head. She would have to straighten it out when she made it back to Knights Ferry the next night. After rubbing shea butter on her skin she wrapped herself up in a towel and went into the bedroom.

Fitz was sitting in the middle of the bed in nothing but a pair of boxers and his eyes lit up when she finally came out. 'What took so long?' he asked with his bottom lip poked out.

'Well, somebody decided to throw me in a pool so I needed to wash all the chlorine out of my hair before bed.' she said accusingly and shot him a pointed look.

'Oh yeah.' he chuckled. He pushed the covers and patted the spot beside him so that she could crawl into bed.

'I need to put on my pajamas.' she playfully murmured.

He groaned. 'Come talk to me first. Put those on later.'

Olivia smirked but walked over to the bed. She had a feeling she wouldn't be putting on any pajamas if she went over to 'talk' to him first. She crawled in beside him but kept the towel wrapped tightly around her body, refusing to separate from it as she sat next him. 'Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?' she asked, eyebrow quirked.

'Why are you all the way over there?' he asked, gesturing to the small space in between them. He slid closer to her so that their hips were pressed against one another's. 'That's so much better.'

She giggled and tried moving away from him but he just wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled dreamily at her. 'Where are you going? I just want to talk.'

'You're not doing much talking.' she pointed out. 'I think you're just trying to feel me up.' Olivia accused and held her arms over her chest to make it harder to get the towel off.

'Who? Me?' his jaw drop and he feigned hurt. 'I cant believe you would accuse me of something like that. If I wanted to feel you up I'd go about it a different way.'

'Yeah?' her eyebrow quirked. 'How would you do it?'

'Well, first I'd take this towel off.' he tried to move her arms away but she wouldn't budge. He chuckled at her attempt at playing hard to get but decided to play along for now. 'Fine. The towel stays on. Then I guess I would start slow and run my fingers up and down your hip.' he said lowly as he pressed his hand against her skin and did just that, the tips of his digits venturing underneath the hem of the towel.

'Watch it now.' she warned, gesturing down to his hand. 'What's next, Casanova?'

'Then I'd slowly move to your thigh.' he said, sliding his hand to her inner thighs and rubbing the soft skin there. He moved closer to her so that he could whisper in her ear. 'Next I'd start kissing you in all the right places. I want to get every single spot that makes you moan.' he breathed before he started laying open mouth kisses on her neck. He lingered and sucked on all the areas that he knew were sensitive and smirked when he heard her whimper.

'And then what?' she whimpered as her grip on the towel started to slip. Olivia tilted her neck to allow him better access and couldn't help but to let out a soft moan.

'Now I want to check and see if you're wet.' he said huskily before moving his hand underneath the towel and in between her legs. Her thighs immediately fell open for him, inviting his fingers to explore her. 'Are you wet, pretty girl?'

Olivia nodded her head. 'Yes.' she managed to croak out.

Fitz's digits found their way to her womanhood and he used his middle and pointer finger to part her lower lips. As if he knew her body better than she did he found her clit and rubbed firm circles on it, causing her to gasp and cry out. She quickly shut her mouth again and he smirked at her stubbornness. He couldn't wait to lay her down and pound into her but he was enjoying their little game of cat and mouse.

'I don't think you're wet enough yet. I can fix that.' he mumbled, kissing up her jawline until he reached her plump lips. He kissed her deeply, allowing his tongue to ease into her mouth and explore. He continued to play with her pussy and used his other hand to slowly move her arms while she was distracted.

He felt her thighs clench on his hand and he knew she was close to orgasming but he didn't want her to just yet. He wanted to hold it out for just a little while longer. Fitz opened his eyes and took in her furrowed brows and noticed that her whole body was trembling. Right before she could orgasm he pulled his hand away.

Olivia's eyes immediately popped open and her jaw dropped as she tried to catch her breath. He had never denied her an orgasm and so she was shocked to say the least. Fitz grinned and she wanted to slap it right off of his face.

Before she could protest he moved in front of her, standing on his knees in between her parted legs. Her arms were resting on her sides so he removed the towel completely and threw it on the floor. His eyes raked hungrily over her body and his erection pressed a tent into his boxers. He reached down and stroked himself a few times as his cock firmed.

'I don't think this is fair.' she said softly, referring to his boxers and her denied orgasm.

'Quiet.' he commanded before pushing her down so that she could lay flat down on the bed. He laid down on top of her, careful not to push all of his weight on her, before kissing down her body. He paid special attention to both of her breasts then nipped his way past her belly button.

He lifted her legs so that they could rest on his shoulders and started kissing her lower lips. She was already wet from his teasing before so he took his time licking up any of her essence threatening to drip. He flattened his tongue and placed one long broad lick up her slit and her whole body shivered and her hips jerked upward. Fitz pressed her body back down on the bed and swirled his tongue over her clit.

Olivia cried out but quickly grabbed the pillow beside her head to cover her face. They had gone all week without getting caught and she didn't want tonight to be the night. She swore that the things this man could do with his tongue should be illegal. He liked to refer to his abilities as his super powers but she refused to admit it. He didn't need anymore strokes to his ego.

She moaned loudly and he reached up to grab the pillow from her face. He threw it off of the bed and looked up at her, daring her to pick up another one. He wanted to hear her and if he had to tie her hands to the bed then he would. Once he was sure she wouldn't try again he went back to his task. He sucked her throbbing nub into his mouth and flicked his tongue over it. Next he slid his pointer and middle fingers inside her slick portal and she made a loud keening noise.

Her heels started digging into his back and her thighs began to shake around his head and he knew she was close again. Olivia wanted to cover her mouth but she was afraid that he'd stop again so instead she gripped the sheets underneath her body and held onto them tightly as her hips began to buck wildly. Fitz wrapped his arms around her, holding her still as he feasted on her. No more than a minute later she crashed into the wave of her orgasm and screamed.

Fitz watched her body calm as she tried to catch her breath and removed his boxers. He crawled back in between her legs and smiled down at her before kissing her lips and letting her taste herself. He teased her entrance with the tip of his hard cock and smiled as she released a breathless giggle.

'How do you want it, pretty girl?' he asked, kissing the side of her face. He wouldn't be able to restrain himself for much longer.

'Hard.' she whimpered as she began grinding her hips to the rhythm he had set.

He grinned and kissed her forehead softly. Without anymore warning he thrusted straight into her slick portal. Olivia's brow furrowed and she yelped as she stretched to accommodate him. He continued to kiss all over her face until she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nodded her head. It was their subtle signal that let him know that she was ready. Fitz pulled all the way out before snapping his hips back forward. She whimpered and her nails dug into the flesh on his back. She was sure that she was breaking the skin but she just couldn't help herself.

Fitz groaned lowly as her soft walls squeezed down on his cock and sucked him back in. They had been so caught up in the moment he hadn't thought of grabbing a condom but he loved to have her like this. He couldn't wait until she got on her birth control so they could throw the condoms away all together.

'You are so fucking tight.' he grunted out his appreciation as he continued to thrash inside of her.

They fell into a rapid pace that was comfortable for them both. Olivia was scratching up and down his back but he hadn't even noticed. His main focus was how good she felt wrapped around his dick as her juices steadily flowed. She brought her arms down from his shoulders and rested them on either side of her head and Fitz intertwined their fingers.

He slowed down as he took the time to kiss her on her mouth once more and she practically sucked his tongue into her mouth. She had never had such an intimate connection with anyone but with Fitz she craved it. Her breath hitched as she felt her impending orgasm start to build and she pulled away from their heated kiss. Fitz watched her as she fell apart, loving the way her beautiful face contorted as her pussy clutched him in a vice grip. He continued to plunge in and out of her, their fingers still intertwined, until he felt his own orgasm approach.

As much as he hated to, Fitz pulled out. His cock was wet and sticky from her dripping juices as he ran his hand up and down his shaft. He sat up above her, taking in her prepossessing body and appreciating every part of it. Her supple breasts, her perked nipples, the curvature of her waist and hips, and finally down to her glistening sex.

 _Mine. All mine._

Moments later he grunted as he came, his seed landing on her tummy and breasts. Fitz took a deep breath before sitting back on his butt to steady his breathing. He eventually crawled out of bed to get a towel from the bathroom to clean up with.

'Still want your pajamas?' he asked, his eyebrow now quirked as he threw the towel in the dirty laundry hamper.

'No.' she shook her head and held her arms out to him, beckoning him to come back to bed. All she ever wanted to do after sex was to feel his warm body against hers but it was taking him way too long in her opinion.

Fitz grabbed an extra blanket out of one of the drawers before joining her once more in bed. He laid on his back and she immediately moved so that she could lay on top of him. Olivia rested her face against his chest, smiling when she heard his heart beating in her ear. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist tightly, as if she'd vanish in the middle of the night, and their legs intertwined with one another's.

'Fitz.' Olivia said softly, looking up at him and resting her chin on his chest. She giggled when she realized that his eyes were shut and he was already sleeping.

She ran her left hand through his curls, admiring the ring on her finger as she did. In her opinion things truly couldn't get any better than this. Olivia kissed his chest and mumbled out a string of 'I love you's before shutting her eyes to get some sleep.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And thus ends their time in D.C.. They spent a lot more time there than I had originally planned lol and I was really ready to bring them home. Poor Percy misses his family. A lot of you predicted that Teddy would be coming back to Knights Ferry and you were correct. He'll be playing a very key role in the next few chapters as he learns how to handle himself on a farm. He's never been away from home before or had a job so I think it'll be interesting to see how he manages.**_

 _ **This chapter was very Fitz centered as he starts to think about what's going to happen in the next year or so. If you remember Olivia was only supposed to be staying in Knights Ferry for a year before moving back to Sacramento so obviously one of them is going to have to sacrifice. I haven't chosen who yet, though, so don't worry. We're going to have an Olivia focused chapter soon as we look more into her relationship with her close friends and see how they've been coping with her being so far away. Also I know most of us don't really like Hollis but he won't have any negative roles here.**_

 _ **As usual I'd like to thank you all for reading. Please let me hear what you think, your favorite parts and what you think will happen next. It's always very interesting to read your Tweets and messages so please throw them at me lol. Until next time!**_


	18. Hotel California

Olivia rubbed her sleepy eyes as they walked down the marble stairs of Fitz's parents house for the last time, leaning against the railing to help keep herself balanced. She wasn't sure what demon had possessed her body when she scheduled their flight so early, but now she was regretting it. Her head felt light, her limbs felt heavy, and overall she just felt like _shit_.

Wanting to be comfortable for their flight, Olivia wore a plain white t-shirt with a simple pocket over the left breast; it was bordering see through but the black bra she wore underneath was simple and cotton, a pair of comfortable skinny jeans with holes in the knees, and a pair of strappy Chacos sandals. They weren't her usual shoe of choice but the girls in Tiffany's book club had all given her gifts and she wanted to show her appreciation. Not only that, they were pretty comfortable and the style was starting to grow on her.

Their outing had also served as the second time a few cameras got photos of them. This time instead of the couple being rushed by paparazzi, it was only a few fans snapping pictures from afar. Olivia's 'secret' boyfriend wasn't much of a secret anymore but Fitz didn't really mind. There was a part of him that wanted to keep their relationship a complete secret but he was actually pretty happy that they had been exposed. He wanted to make it extremely clear to the world that Olivia Pope was officially taken off of the market.

Olivia's friends had called when they saw their picture plastered over the internet but it was really just to check on her. She seemed to be handling the pressure from the media pretty well and as long as she was happy then they were happy. In the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but wonder if her family had been seeing what was going on. She was pretty sure they couldn't miss it since her name was trending on every major social media website in the United States but she hadn't heard a word from any them. Typical behavior on their part. She made herself a mental note to call her mother once they returned to California.

Fitz didn't seem to be doing much better than Olivia. He was able to sleep in every morning for the past week and now it seemed like they were up at the crack of dawn to catch their flight. Honestly he was going to miss getting up whenever he wanted to but he was also excited to get back to work and see how his crops were doing. He was sure that nothing much would've changed during the time he was away but he wanted to see for himself. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes before stretching his body out. He was standing at the base of the stairs and watching her fumble down and he had to keep himself from chuckling because she actually looked pretty cute. He knew Olivia would be cranky for the next few hours and that trying to have a conversation with her would result in either getting snapped at or ignored so he didn't even try.

'Good morning!' Teddy boomed with the biggest smile on his face as he walked from the kitchen with a duffel bag on his back and a rolling suitcase in his other hand.

Teddy usually wasn't a morning person either but today was completely different. He was so excited about going to California that he hadn't slept at all the night before. He had never been this excited about anything in his life, actually. After Fitz told him that he could come live in Knights Ferry, he went upstairs to pack everything he could into his 2 suitcases and didn't worry about the rest. He didn't even bother calling all of his friends and instead opted to just send a massive group text telling them he'd be gone.

Olivia crinkled her nose at his tone and the look of joy on his face. She couldn't imagine anyone being this happy before the sun came up and yet here was Teddy just as jolly as any sane person would be at noon.

Fitz could only roll his eyes at his brother. Sure, he was excited now but he wondered what his response would be when he had to consistently get up at the crack of dawn and do hard manual labor. While he was happy that Teddy seemed to finally have some direction in his life, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was begging to return to the east coast. Olivia had chastised him for thinking so negatively but he couldn't help but to be a little skeptical.

'I got us some breakfast to eat before we left.' Teddy gestured over to the coffee table that had bagels and some fruit in it that he had set out himself

Olivia made a grunting noise of thanks then went straight to grab a handful of grapes while Fitz avoided the food all together. Flying still wasn't his favorite thing to do and he had gotten a hint of motion sickness on the way there and he didn't want a repeat of that. His father had suggested he take a muscle relaxer so that he could sleep during the duration of the flight and he was really looking forward to that.

After saying their goodbyes to everyone, and nearly dragging Tiffany off of Olivia's legs, the trio made their exit. Olivia requested for an Uber to pick them up from the house and take them straight to the airport and they dropped their bags off. She put a pair of big shades on to cover her face as they walked so that they could avoid being spotted and stuck close to Fitz's side. She usually didn't mind interacting with her fans but today all she wanted to do was get to her seat and go back to sleep.

As soon as they boarded their flight and the plane took off, Olivia and Fitz wrapped themselves in a blanket and dozed off while Teddy stayed wide awake. He had been on plenty of flights before but this one was different. This was basically the start to his new life and he didn't want to miss a second of it. He was taking pictures of absolutely any and every thing that happened to catch his eye, including the very pretty stewardess that brought him his inflight meal. Fitz was awake long enough to catch his brother asking a stranger to take a picture of him by his window seat which made him just roll his eyes and then shut them again.

Once learning about Olivia's arrival back into Sacramento, the airport was on high alert. They didn't want a repeat of what happened during their departing flight and they wanted to ensure that things were business as usual. Having frenzied people all over the airport was a hazard to safety and security and they needed to avoid that.

To alleviate the issue, Olivia, Fitz, and Teddy were allowed to get off of the plane first, leaving a lot of other grumbling and annoyed patrons behind in their seats. The men working on the flight strip pulled their bags out of the bottom of the plane loaded them up into a golf cart.

'Wow, Liv.' Teddy said, clearly amazed by the treatment he was receiving. 'Do you always travel like this?' he asked as he rushed to climb in the front seat.

Olivia laughed but only Fitz rolled his eyes. Teddy traveled with their father a lot so he wasn't sure why he was so in awe of what was going on today. 'Not usually but I'm always happy when I do. I don't want to spend any of my extra time in an airport.'

Once all the bags were loaded and everyone was in their seats, the woman driving the golf cart sped off and started to drive them towards the parking lot where they had left the truck the week before. Teddy busied himself by texting his friends and documenting his whole experience on Snapchat. Olivia had managed to wrap herself underneath Fitz's arm and rested her head on his shoulder during the ride. They had spent the whole week cuddling and relaxing but it felt even better now that they were back home in California.

It didn't take long to reach the parking lot and Fitz already had his keys out to unlock the door. He used the push button start to turn the vehicle on, then helped Olivia get inside so that she could wait while they loaded the bags in.

'Woah, dude. This is yours?' Teddy ran his hand along the black paint of Fitz's Ford F350. He didn't think he had ever seen a truck so big in his life.

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle. It was a fairly big truck and that was usually the reaction he got from people the first time they saw it. 'Yep. I needed it for all the heavy hauling I do around the farm," he stated as he grabbed one of Olivia's bags, carefully slid it in the bed of the truck.

'When do I get mine,' his younger brother asked, his face lighting up at the thought.

'What? A truck?' Fitz asked, his nose crinkled. 'Ted, this truck cost $75,000. You don't just get one for no reason.'

'But what am I going to use to haul stuff? You just said you needed it for farm work and that's what I'm going to be doing.' he frowned and grabbed his duffel bag and threw it in with the other luggage.

'You can ride with me while I'm hauling," his eyes rolled. 'Do you even have your license?'

'No," he huffed, tone defensive. In DC, he would either use some form of public transportation or use the family's private driver so there was never a reason to have a license. 'But I could get it, though.'

Fitz only shook his head at his brother. He still felt that Teddy was in for a rude awakening once the real work started but he decided not to crush his dreams so early. After tipping the woman in the cart, the trio started on their way back to Knights Ferry.

Teddy stayed up the entire ride, trying his best to remember the way Fitz was taking. He wanted to know everything about his new home including how to independently navigate. Once they arrived in town, he was a little surprised to say the least. His parents had always told him that Knights Ferry was nothing but grass and rednecks but he never imagined it looking like this. He was at least expecting a Walmart or McDonalds but all he saw was a general store and a bar.

He refused to complain though. He was going to make the best of it.

His face lit up when they pulled up to the gates of the ranch. Teddy watched in awe as they opened and they started down the path towards the house. As soon as Fitz parked the truck he hopped out of the backseat, nearly falling as he made it to the ground. He wasn't used to being in a vehicle so high up so that was definitely something to get used to.

'What's that smell?' he asked, nose crinkled as he took in the air of the ranch.

Olivia had to keep from laughing at him. The ranch didnt have the best smell but she had gotten used to it. 'This is how farms smell, Teddy.' she explained as she hopped down from the truck and into Fitz's waiting arms. She could crawl in and out by herself but he enjoyed helping her and she wouldn't take that simple joy away from him.

* * *

'You guys need to get out of here! Now!' Max hissed at Hooter and Shannon. After their first night of partying, he hadn't invited anyone else over but Fitz had been very clear about not having any guests over at all and yet here were his best friend and girlfriend. 'Dr. G. and Miss Olivia are going to be here any minute!'

'Max we're almost finished!' Shannon yelled back from the kitchen as she finished the final touches on the kitchen floor. They had forgotten to take Percy out that day and he had let loose all over the tiles. She wanted to be upset but it really wasn't his fault. They had forgotten all about him since he had spent most of the time hiding underneath the tables and chairs.

'Oh my God,' he groaned and ran his hands over his face, exasperated from his day so far. He had just finished up the chores and he was sweaty and dirty and wanted nothing more than to go to his own house and get in the shower.

Hooter, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch and absentmindedly watching television. He was the one who was going to have to drive Shannon home and he couldn't leave until she was finished. He was sore from helping Max with the farm all week and he swore that there were parts on his body that hurt that he didn't even know could hurt. Usually when they helped Fitz around the farm, he was actually there and did most of the heavy lifting for them. Neither of the boys realized how hard his job really was until they had to do it by themselves.

'Shannon, I'm going to get in trouble!' Max sighed before marching into the kitchen to see what the hold up was.

Before they could start arguing the front door opened. Hooter was the first person to hear it because he was still on the couch and his face nearly flushed white. He quickly stood to his feet and swallowed hard when he saw Fitz walk through the front door. He was obviously struggling with the luggage that he had in his hands but Hooter was too afraid to even move.

Fitz finally looked up long enough to see him standing there standing awkwardly. The rule was that Max wasn't supposed to have anyone at the house while he was away but obviously that rule was broken. He had had a feeling that he wouldn't stick to the 'no visitors' rule but he at least thought that he'd have them out by the time he returned.

'Hooter.' he acknowledged as he stood Olivia's suitcase up and stretched his back. The bag was already heavy and her shopping trips just made it worse. 'You're here. In my house.'

Hooter swallowed hard as he tried to come with a believable lie to tell Fitz. Before he could open his mouth, Max came from the kitchen with Shannon right behind him. They both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Fitz standing their in the living room. Max could've melted where he stood but not before killing his best friend and girlfriend. He had warned them multiple times that they needed to leave and now they had been caught.

'Welcome home, Dr. G!' Max said, smiling as hard as he possibly could.

Fitz cut his eyes at him. Max definitely seemed guilty. 'Thank you, Max.'

Olivia came in the house moments later and she couldn't help but smirk. She had a feeling Max wouldn't have been able to stick to the rules while they were away but she hoped Fitz wouldn't be too hard on the kids. As soon as she put her purse down on the table, they could hear Percy making a mad dash down the stairs and towards the living room.

Percy was running as fast as his little legs could take him, his tongue hanging out his mouth and his short tail wagging as fast as possible. He bypassed Fitz completely until he reached Olivia and practically leapt into her arms. She squealed softly to match his excitement and held him tightly to her chest in a hug. She actually found herself surprised at how much she missed him.

Fitz sucked his teeth at her excitement but then turned his attention back to the kids who were now standing there awkwardly. 'Max, I thought I was clear on the no guests rule," he reminded pointedly.

Max swallowed hard, trying to think of a quick lie. 'I know Dr. G but you see we were just—'

'Max couldn't handle all the work by himself. He thought he'd be able to but he got overwhelmed.' Shannon cut in, trying to save her boyfriend's behind. 'So we just came by to make sure all the chores were done.'

'Well, that was very nice of you all to do but I still gave specific instructions to not have anyone over without my permission. If he needed help, then he could have called me or another adult," he scolded. 'You kids run on home and Max and I will talk later.' Fitz stated before moving off to the side so the kids could reach the door.

Hooter and Shannon both scurried out of the front door and Max followed behind them with his head hung low. He knew he was going to be in trouble but he also appreciated that Fitz chose not to embarrass him in front of his friends. He would just have to suck it up and deal with whatever consequence he had to face.

Olivia put Percy back down on the floor and watched as the kids walked out of the door and couldn't help but to feel a little bad for Max. She could remember not to long ago being young and foolish and breaking a few rules herself. 'Fitz, I hope you won't be too hard on him,"p she said softly.

Fitz sucked his teeth. Olivia occasionally tried to seem hard and tough but she was the biggest softie he knew. 'Max has to learn that there are consequences to his actions, Olivia. He can't just go through life following his own rules and expecting not to get caught.'

'And I get that, I really do. But he's still just a kid, Fitz. It doesn't look like there was any harm done to the house.'

He sighed. 'Max is 16, Liv. Once he graduates from high school, the people around town are going to expect a lot from him. If he wants to be treated as an adult, then he was to own up to what he's done like an adult.'

Fitz would never say it out loud but he knew that the possibility that Max and his friends would ever make it out of Knights Ferry were slim to none. While they learned basic things in school, they were mostly taught practical lessons like how to cook or how to fix a tractor if it breaks down. They were basically being trained on how to take over their parent's jobs when they got older and Max had big shoes fill.

'I suppose you're right.' Olivia muttered. 'But —'

'No buts.' he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips to stop whatever she was going to say next. 'Max has to learn right from wrong. He's too old to be breaking simple rules. Plus it's not like I'm going to spank him. I reserve all those for you," he simpered before laying a firm pop to her behind.

Olivia squealed softly at the sensation and reached to rub her bottom. She huffed loudly to show her displeasure even though they both knew she enjoyed when he was a little rough with her. 'Fitzgerald!' she scolded.

'Yes?' he asked, eyebrows raised in amusement at her tone.

Before she could respond, Teddy came through the front door with his bags on his back and a huge smile on his face. He was loudly humming the tune to _Hotel California_ by the Eagles as he looked around. He hadn't visited the farm since his grandfather passed away and Fitz had obviously done a lot of renovating since then. He couldn't remember much of what it looked like but it seemed like a brand new house.

'Wow.' he said as he analyzed the room. 'This place is- _OW_!' Before he could finish his sentence he felt something bite his ankle. He looked down to see Percy attached to him.

Fitz had to keep himself from laughing at his brother's pain. Finally somebody else in the house would understand how big of a pain in the ass Percy was and he wouldn't be the only person getting bit. Olivia rushed over to where they were and picked the dog up into her arms.

'Aw, he's just a little scared because you're a stranger," she cooed in a baby voice as she rubbed the top of Percy's head to calm him down. 'Teddy, this is Percy.'

'He stays in the house?' Teddy asked as he looked at his ankle to see if there was any blood.

'Yes.' Olivia said with a smile before taking Percy over to his bed and laying him down. 'But once he gets used to you, I'm sure you guys will be the best of friends," she assured.

'Don't let her fool you, Teddy.' Fitz shook his head. 'The only person that dog likes is Olivia and I'm the one that saved him.' He scoffed before grabbing one of his brother's bags so that he could help him get to his room. 'You'll be sleeping in one of the downstairs bedrooms.'

'Where do you sleep?' He asked as he started following him down the hall. Teddy walked a couple steps behind Fitz as he took in the surroundings of the home. Most people would assume that most of the decor inside of the home was Olivia's doing but Fitz had actually done most of it when he originally moved in.

'Upstairs in the last room on the hall. This bedroom is bigger than the other ones upstairs and it has it's own bathroom, so I figured that you'd like this one better.' he reasoned before swinging the door open.

Because he hadn't been expecting to bring Teddy back, the bedroom hadn't been prepared for his arrival. It had a full sized iron bed, an antique that his grandmother had left in the house, and an older dresser. The carpet in the room was sky blue and the walls were painted a pale yellow. The windows had lime green curtain and the closet door was off of its hinge. Fitz had mainly been using the room for storage purposes but it wouldn't be hard to move a few boxes around so they'd be out of his way.

'I haven't done much renovating," Fitz admitted, awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he remembered how ugly the room really was. 'But you're free to change things up if you want. Mom said she's going to ship some things from your room to make it feel more personal I guess.'

Teddy's nose involuntarily crinkled but he was determined to keep a positive attitude. He refused to blow his opportunity redemption over a bad attitude about an ugly bedroom. With the best smile that he could muster, he walked over to bed and sat down on the bare mattress, the box springs squeaking and creaking as he did.

'This is nice.' he said, only half lying. 'Thanks, bro. I should probably start unpacking some of my things.'

'Right.' Fitz nodded and began slowly backing out of the room. It was only then that he realized how awkward the adjustment period would be with Teddy living with him. It wasn't that he didn't love his little brother, he truly did, but they didn't spend a lot of time together growing up because of their age difference. Fitz had left home never to return years ago and Teddy didn't remember much about him.

'I'll just leave you to it,' he said, now standing in the doorway.

Teddy nodded again and watched as Fitz shut the door behind him. He took another glance around the room and sighed as he thought about all of the changes that he'd have to make if he wanted it to even remotely look like it belonged to him. He threw his suitcase on top of the bed and opened it so that he could start hanging up his clothes.

Fitz made his way through the living room and found himself pleasantly surprised when he saw Percy laying down in his bed but no Olivia. That meant that she was upstairs alone and that he could have her all to himself. He smiled and turned all the lights in the living room off except for one (she insisted that Percy needed to see while he was downstairs), then went over to where the suitcases were. He reached inside of his and grabbed a condom, he'd take all the bags to the bedroom some other time, then made his way up the stairs.

The bedroom door was still wide open and the light was on so he made his way inside. Olivia had her smaller suitcase on the small padded bench at the foot of the bed and he assumed that she was unpacking it. He slowly came up behind her and engulfed her in his embrace and laid kisses on the side of her neck. Her body initially shuddered, she hadn't heard him come into the room and she was just a little surprised, but she relaxed in his arms and hummed her approval as his lips traveled up and down the column of her neck.

'Hi.' she mumbled softly as she dropped the shirt that was in her hand inside of her suitcase and moved her hands to rest on the tops of his that were splayed across her abdomen.

'Hi.' he breathed huskily into her ear. 'Unpack later. Let's go to bed.'

'I'm not unpacking.' she chuckled breathlessly as she felt his erection press into her lower back. 'I'm packing some clothes for tonight.'

'What?' he asked with his nose crinkled. He let go of her just to turn her around to face him. His eyebrows were furrowed and Olivia thought the confused look on his face was adorable but she didn't dare say it right then. 'Why are you packing?'

'Well,' she started, moving her hands on top of his shoulders. 'I figured I'd just stay at my place tonight so you and Teddy could get in some manly bonding time. A guy's night, so to speak.' she tried to rationalize but she could tell by the look on his face that Fitz wasn't feeling her explanation.

'Teddy is 19. What type of guys night are we going to have,' Fitz frowned. Olivia didn't really spend the night alone at her house since the situation with Jake and he didn't like the idea of starting it up again now. He had gotten used to sleeping next to her so the thought of her being gone bothered him.

Olivia smirked. 'You guys can catch up on the past few years that you missed and I'd just be a distraction. It's just for one night.'

'But you won't be a distraction. ' Fitz whined and she almost lost all her resolve. It was rare that he ever pouted or complained but when he did his bottom lip poked out cutely and his head drooped and she found it difficult not to give in to whatever he wanted.

'You just left Teddy downstairs so that you could try and get in my pants.' she teased.

'And I could get in them if you didn't insist on trying to leaving tonight.' he insisted as he pressed his crotch into her body so that she could feel exactly what she was doing to him.

She nearly snorted. It always amazed her that Fitz would get turned on without even being touched. She wasn't sure how he went so long on the farm all by himself. 'Fitzgerald you can go one night without sex to spend time with Teddy—'

'Please' he groaned. 'don't talk about Teddy right now. I'm trying to seduce you.'

Olivia laughed and shook her head at his antics. 'One night. I'll be back in the morning.' she insisted once more before pushing his arms down off of her body and wiggling away from him as best she could.

He groaned. 'It's our first night back, Livvie. Can't we just enjoy it together?'

'It's not like we were apart," her eyes rolled. 'Why don't you help Teddy unpack and you guys watch a movie or something? You can take him around the farm on tractor before it gets too dark or—'

Fitz sighed as he realized she wouldn't be changing her mind no matter how much he begged. 'Fine. I'll take him around the property or something.' he relented.

As much as he hated to admit that Olivia was right, he knew that she was. It wouldn't hurt to show Teddy around so he was more familiar with his surroundings and spending a few hours with him would probably help their relationship. He ran his fingers through his hair but nodded his head.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. 'I knew you'd see it my way.'

'Ya, ya.' Fitz grunted. 'What time are you coming back?'

'I'll be back before breakfast, probably right after you get done with your morning chores.' she assured with a grin. She zipped her suitcase and slid it to the edge of the bench so that he could pick it up.

His bottom lip poked out involuntarily as he picked up her suitcase up and extended the handle so that he could roll it down the hallway. Olivia tried her best not to giggle at his pouting face as they made it down the stairs but he was making it pretty hard. She grabbed Percy out of his bed on the way out, knowing that he wouldn't want to be away from her for another night after such an extended period away. Fitz put the bag into the trunk of her car and opened the driver's side door for her.

'You sure you want to leave tonight?' he asked in a final attempt to get her to stay.

'Goodbye.' she laughed and shook her head at him before placing a small kiss on his lips. 'I'll see you in the morning.'

Fitz sighed but smiled. Once she got inside he shut her door for her and watched her drive away, waving at her until her car was completely out of sight and threw the front gates of the ranch. He went back inside of the house and decided to check in on Teddy and help him with any unpacking that he had to do. That would give them plenty of time to bond and it would make it easier on both of them once he was all settled in.

'Hey, Ted.' Fitz called out as he knocked on the door. When there was no answer after a few knocks he cautiously poked his head into the room to see what was going on.

Teddy had fallen asleep in the bed on top of a pile of clothes that he had gotten out of one of his suitcases but Fitz wasn't surprised. He hadn't slept at all the night before and he was sure that his body would need a while to adjust to California time. So much for bonding time.

The next day was especially hard for Fitz. As soon as his alarm went off that morning, his first thought was to throw his phone straight out of the window. It was his first morning back on the ranch and he already missed being able to sleep in late and just enjoy the comforts of his bed with another warm body beside him. He allowed the thought of calling up his friend Andrew and inquiring about the teaching job to flash across his mind but he quickly shook that away. He had way too much catching up to do to entertain silly ideas.

After going to the kitchen and grabbing some fruit off of the counter to snack on,he made his way to Teddy's bedroom. It was a little after 4am and, just as suspected, his little brother was still asleep in the exact spot he found him in the night before and snoring loudly. After taking into consideration how tired he way, Fitz decided to show him some mercy since it was just his first day. They hadn't gotten a chance to discuss the work schedule or expectations for working and living on the ranch and he didn't think it was fair to wake him up right then.

Instead, he carefully shut the door and made his way outside to start on his morning chores. It didn't take long for him to realize the affects of taking a few days off could have on the body. He was stiff and his muscles ached as he lifted heavy tools and animals but he powered through it. Although he would never admit it out loud, Fitz realized that he wasn't as young as what he used to be so some extra help around the ranch was starting to seem like a good idea. If the setup with Teddy didn't work then maybe he'd hire someone permanently.

Fitz was hoping that Olivia would be back by the time he got done, but was disappointed when he returned to the house and didn't see her car there. He wasn't sure how it was possible to miss somebody so much when they had only been apart for a few hours. After checking on Teddy and realizing that he was still asleep, he returned to his bedroom to take a quick shower and a nap.

* * *

 **12pm**

Olivia used her remote to get into the gates of the ranch and made sure that they shut behind her before continuing down the pathway to the house. She hadn't realized how tired she'd be after their long flight but she ended up sleeping straight through her morning alarms. Fitz had sent her a couple of texts checking in on her and she made sure to respond once she got up. She knew that he was still a little uneasy about her staying alone in town even knowing Jake had seemed to have given up his pursuit of her.

After parking her car in her usual spot, Olivia grabbed Percy off of the passenger's side and walked in the house. It was mostly quiet downstairs except the sound of something rustling around in the kitchen. She put the dog down and he ran straight to the corner where his overly plush pillows were so that he could lay down.

Once Fitz had woken up from his morning nap and realized that Olivia still wasn't back, he was just a little upset. He realized that he couldn't always get his way and have her around 24/7 but he was really hoping she would've been back by then. He decided to try and keep himself busy while he waited so he made some lunch then noticed that the faucet in the kitchen was leaking. Teddy still hadn't been up so he grabbed his tool belt and got to work without him. He could hear Olivia come into the front door but decided to ignore her for the time being. Obviously, the silent treatment was lame and immature but it was the route he chose to take.

Olivia slipped her shoes off and her feet padded against the hardwood floors as she walked to the kitchen. She grinned when she saw him laying on his back underneath the kitchen cabinets with all his tools. She wasn't sure what it was about watching him work hard and fix things but it was a real turn on. She loved to watch him strut around in his tool belt although he never really understood why.

'I'm home, baby," she sang cutely as she stood next to the kitchen counter where he was working.

'Olivia," he acknowledged as coldly as he could, wanting her to hear the displeasure in his voice.

She couldn't help but chuckle when she heard the tone in his voice. Olivia sat down on the floor next to him and crossed her legs. She gently rested one of her hands on his abdomen, rubbing his stomach through his charcoal gray t-shirt.

'I'm sorry I didn't make it back earlier. I slept through all of my alarms," she confessed, her tone apologetic.

'I was very worried about you, Olivia. You could've been hurt or not feeling well," he scolded while keeping his attention on the task at hand. Fitz was trying his best to ignore her hand that was now traveling to the hem of his shirt so that she could touch his skin.

Olivia had to keep herself from laughing again. If Fitz was really worried like he said he was, then he would've come to check on her or sent the mayor by the house to make sure that she was okay. 'I don't think you were worried about me at all. I think you just missed me.'

Fitz bit down on his bottom lip. He hated that she could read him so well at times. She was the only person in the world that could do that. After clearing his throat, he spoke again. 'I'm serious, Olivia. You told me you'd be back early this morning and it's past lunch time.'

'I'm sorry.' she huffed cutely. Olivia slowly moved to straddle his waist, resting her bum on his stomach and placing both of her hands on his chest. After she was sure that she had his full attention, she spoke again. 'I think you're just mad because you missed me.'

He could feel his cock twitch in his jeans as it became painfully clear that he was very turned on by what she was doing. Fitz internally cursed himself for falling right into her trap of seduction when he was supposed to still be mad at her but he knew he never stood a chance. He willed himself not to look at her, keeping his attention on the pipes that he had been working on.

She nearly snorted when she realized that Fitz was trying to play hard to get. Olivia pushed his shirt up to reveal his muscular torso and purred at the sight. 'Did you miss me? I missed you,' she whispered lowly.

His breath hitched at the back of his throat as he felt her slide down further so that she was directly in his lap. Fitz's hips involuntarily bucked upwards as his manhood began to strain against his pants. A small whimpering noise escaped his lips, a plea to Olivia to help soothe some of his ache.

'Tell me," she requested. Olivia leaned forward so that her chest was pressed against his. She laid kisses along his jawline and to his ear, flicking her tongue out to lick the outer shell once she was close enough. 'Tell me what you missed about me.'

'Oh my God," he exhaled as he lost all of his resolve. He dropped the tools he was working with and his hands immediately went to her ass, squeezing and groping as it filled both of his large hands. 'I missed you.'

Olivia smiled at his confession. 'You know I think you're so sexy with your tool belt on, but I think it's time we take it off.'

She didn't have to tell Fitz twice. He quickly sat up with her in his lip, urgently reaching down to undo his belt buckle. Olivia giggled at his excitement as she watched try and rid himself of his equipment and began unbuttoning her own jeans. It wasn't until they heard the sound of someone else walking that they both stopped.

They had been alone in their own little bubble on the ranch for so long that they had both forgotten about Teddy. When it was just the two of them they could have sex wherever they wanted; on the couch, in the kitchen, on the staircase, but they would have to be more careful now and probably contain themselves to the upstairs portion of the house. Fitz gave her a pained facial expression but Olivia tried her best to smile in return. She was the one that had worked so hard to persuade him to let Teddy stay and she didn't want to seem negative. They would just have to make some adjustments now.

'Livvie...' Fitz groaned dramatically as if he was in some type of despair.

'Later.' she whispered back reassuringly. She quickly fixed her pants then stood to her feet, walking to the other side of the kitchen in an attempt to put some space in between them. She was starting to get hot and bothered herself and she needed a moment to compose herself.

'Tom. Olivia.' Teddy called out as he made his way to the kitchen. The house wasn't a mansion by any standards but it was pretty hard not to get lost, especially on the first day. He smiled when he found them both in the kitchen and sleepily rubbed his eyes. 'Morning, guys.'

'Hey, Teddy.' Olivia greeted with a warm smile. 'How'd you sleep last night?'

'Amazing, actually.' he said, reaching upwards to stretch the muscles in his back. 'I just fell asleep unpacking my things. I guess I was just a lot more tired than expected.' he grinned and rubbed the back of his head, a very similar gesture that Fitz often used. 'I'm ready to go work now, Tom.'

Fitz chuckled and shook his head. He had his belt resting in his lap in attempt to hide his stiff member. He couldn't wait until he got Olivia alone again. This was the second time he had gotten all riled up just to be shot down and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. If Teddy wasn't in the room, she'd be bent over the kitchen sink by now screaming.

 **'** I'm afraid you've missed most of the work, Ted.'

'What?' his eyebrows furrowed, another behavior he and his brother shared. 'How'd I miss it? What time is it?'

'It's almost one.' Olivia chimed in. 'I think you've slept most of the day away.'

'Oh no.' Teddy slightly blushed in embarrassment. He had all intentions on making a really good impression on everyone and it seemed as if he was already messing that up. 'I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry, bro.'

'Don't worry about it.' Fitz shook his head. 'I figured you'd be tired. We can start off fresh in the morning.'

'How about I make us up something quick for lunch?' Olivia suggested as he walked over to the refrigerator to see what all they had in it. They didn't get too many groceries before they left for DC but she knew it was enough to whip something for a meal.

'That sounds like a good idea.' Teddy said, holding onto his now rumbling and clenching stomach.

Once his erection softened, Fitz laid back down on his back and went back to the task at hand. Teddy walked over to where he was and laid down beside him, trying his best to figure out what his older brother was doing.

 **'** What are you fixing?' he asked curiously.

'This pipe was leaking so I'm just going to tighten it up a little bit and make sure everything else is in working order.' Fitz explained. This situation reminded him a lot of when they were younger and Teddy tried to copy everything he did no matter what it was.

'Do I get a tool belt, too?' he asked, gesturing to the belt that was still sitting in Fitz's lap.

'You don't have any tools, Teddy.' he pointed out.

'So when I get my own tools?'

Fitz chuckled. 'You don't know how to fix anything yet.'

'But how am I supposed to learn if I don't have any tools?' he asked, sitting as Fitz finished up the job under the sink.

'You can use mine until you need your own.' he shook his head. 'Let's just get past this first week then we'll talk about the rest.'

Teddy sighed but nodded his head, feeling more determined than ever. It wouldn't be long before he got his own set of tools, his own truck, and his own place in town, too. He knew he couldn't stay with his brother forever, especially if he ever planned on getting a girlfriend of his own. He saw Shannon walk out of the house earlier the previous day and thought that she was beautiful. He had made a mental note to ask Fitz and Olivia about her, but he hadn't had time but yet and had no idea that she and Max were a couple.

It was only a matter of time before everything started to come together. He could just feel it.

* * *

Later that night, Fitz returned to his bedroom after working outside. There was a bad storm coming in and it had managed to spook a lot of the animals so he had to make sure that they were all safe and secure in the barn before he went to bed. Teddy, who had no experience with large cattle, was told he could just stay inside while Fitz worked. He'd more than likely just be in the way and he needed to move quickly to make sure everything was in order.

Olivia was sitting on the foot of the bed with her legs crossed and playing a game on her phone. She smiled when he walked into the room and stood to her feet, meeting him in the doorway. He was soaking wet from the rain and smelled like cows so she tried her best to only breathe when necessary.

'I ran you a bath.' she said as she took his hand and lead him into the bathroom.

'You did?' he asked, watching her ass sway back and forth as he followed her. 'Will you be joining me?'

'I was going to, but then I realized how badly you stink so I think this should be something you do on your own.' she explained with her nose crinkled.

'I don't smell that bad.' his brows furrowed as he sniffed his shirt. He had been working on his farm for so long that he barely even noticed the smell anymore but Olivia was always quite vocal on letting him know about it.

'Fitz, you smell like wet dog and cows.' she rolled her eyes and led him to the bathtub that was already full of hot water and bubbles.

'Well, we can get clean together,' he said with a sweet smile before leaning in to kiss her.

Olivia put her hand in between their lips, halting his attempt to steal a kiss. She made gagging noises and pretended to throw up when he tried to get close to her again and dramatically stumbled out of the bathroom as if she was going to pass out from the smell alone.

Fitz sucked his teeth at her dramatic, over the top display but let her go. He stripped out of his clothes and put them in his laundry basket before dipping himself into the hot water. It never ceased to amaze him at how quickly his bathtub became 'their' bathtub as all of her things began to occupy some of the shelf space of the jacuzzi style tub. He used to keep a simple bar of soap and sponge but now there were body washes, bath oils and salts, and some of her favorite bath bombs that she had ordered. He honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

As soon as he was finished in the bathroom, he came back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had taken out the time to blow dry his hair so he wouldn't have to lay next to her with a wet head. Olivia was sitting in the middle of the bed with her back pressed against the headboard watching television when he came in the room and she immediately covered her nose.

'Oh, God.' she groaned. 'You still smell terrible.'

He chuckled as he approached the bed. 'Olivia I just took a bath and I would like to kiss my girlfriend now.'

'Absolutely not.' Olivia refused, scooting away from him as he crawled into the bed. 'Fitz, don't touch me.' she warned.

'Or what?' he simpered as he reached to grab her ankles, bringing her closer to him.

Olivia squealed loudly and kicked her legs, trying to get away from his firm grip. She knew she was going to pay for her silliness and that thought alone excited her. Fitz took hold of her calve muscles and squeezed down on them, holding her legs down to the bed as he did.

'Stop!' she pleaded, trying to sit up and push him away.

'Come here, little woman.' Fitz playfully roared, leaning forward so that he could lay on top of her. 'Say you're sorry.' he whined.

She laughed loudly and squirmed as his body smushed hers under his weight. Fitz attacked her face and neck area with light kisses as she struggled to roll away. Using his left hand, he grabbed her face and held her still as he pressed his lips against hers.

'Fitz.' she whined against his mouth before nearly sucking his tongue into her mouth.

He ignored her cries and used his free hand to roam around her body, touching and squeezing anything that he could reach. His towel had long come undone and had become just a pile of fabric laying on the bed. Olivia's nimble fingers ran down his body until they found his ass and she dug her nails into his bare flesh, making him flinch.

'You're so mean to me.' he huffed before kissing down her jawline, nipping at her skin.

'Mmmm.' she hummed softly. 'Take off my clothes.'

'Not until you say you're sorry.' he responded. Olivia couldn't see his facial expression but she could just hear the naughty grin in his voice.

'I'm sorry.' she relented. She was going to start taking off her own clothes if he wouldn't do it himself.

Fitz began moving down her body, placing his lips over the top of her clothes until he reached the hem of her shirt. He pushed it up to reveal her tummy then hooked his fingers in the elastic of her sweatpants. 'I don't think you mean it.' he murmured against her belly button.

'I do.' Olivia said as she took hold of the sheets below her body and tightened her grip.

He sat up on his knees and started tugging her pants and panties down her legs, his cock hardening as he looked over her now naked bottom half. Next he went for her white t-shirt and he pulled her t-shirt above her head and threw it over the side of the bed.

'I want you.' she whispered lowly as he laid on the bed once more; her back flush against the mattress below her and her legs bent so that the soles of her feet were against the covers. Olivia reached up, flexing her fingers and beckoning him to join her once more.

Fitz took hold of her petite waist, his thumbs gently grazing over her delicate skin. 'Touch yourself,' he commanded in a deep and husky tone.

Olivia purred softly as his more dominant side began to peek out. She brought both her hands up to her breasts, squeezing them in her hands before taking her pierced nipples in between her thumbs and pointer fingers and tugging on them. She moaned loudly as she pleasured herself and made sure to make eye contact with Fitz the entire time. He was watching as if he was ready to devour her; Olivia swore she had never felt so sexy in her life. She watched as Fitz laid down on his stomach in between her legs, his head settling in between the juncture of her thighs.

Fitz gently lifted both of her hips and placed them over his shoulders, leaving her wide open for his viewing. He teased the sensitive skin of her inner thighs with light kisses and nips until she was writhing underneath him and searching for relief.

'Ohhhh...' Olivia straggled out. 'Baby, please.'

He ignored her droning as he pressed his nose into her slit and his tongue darted out to meet her entrance. Her hips bucked wildly but he held her down to the bed as he tasted her. Fitz lapped at her as if he was a man starving for nourishment and his short and stubbly facial hair brushed against the inner portion of her thighs, causing her skin to tingle. Olivia could feel her insides clench, anticipating being filled to the brim with him.

She could feel his lips pucker, making a round shape as he sucked her clit into his mouth and her thighs clenched around his head. Her back arched painfully off of the bed, her toes curled, and her head felt like it might explode. Fitz growled lowly as her juices flowed down his throat.

Other than being completely buried in between Olivia's thighs, Fitz couldn't find many other things that brought as much pleasure as eating her out. Her high pitched moans, the way she clamped down around his head, and the sensation of her heels digging into his back drove him insane every time. He released one of her thighs and slowly slid two of his fingers into her slick portal, curling them upward to stimulate her spot.

Olivia orgasmed a few moments later, her chest heaving as a thin layer of sweat formed over her body. Her eyes were shut and she draped one of her forearms across her forehead and she tried to regulate her breathing again. She could feel Fitz get out of bed but didn't pay much attention to him until she felt him grip her ankles.

Her eyes popped open as she realized he was standing up near the foot of the bed and before she could ask what he was doing, he pulled her body closer to him. Olivia squealed in surprise as her flesh dragged across the soft sheets and her legs dangled off of the side. She could feel Fitz's eyes rake over her, staring at her plump lips, down to her supple breasts, then right to the spot previously occupied by his mouth. Obviously, he wasn't done with her yet.

She attempted to sit up but he immediately pushed her back down on the bed. Her eyebrows raised in surprise but she only purred lowly and reached to pinch down on her nipples. Olivia watched as his every move as he went to grab a condom from the night stand.

'Don't move,' he instructed sternly.

'Yes, sir.' she cooed at him.

Once he returned to the spot in between her legs, Fitz ripped the condom open and dropped the wrapper to the floor. After rolling the latex down his erect shaft, he grabbed Olivia's legs, his hands gripping the bend of her knees, and began sliding through her folds.

* * *

The next morning around 4am, Fitz's alarm clock went off as usual but he found it fairly difficult to get up. He was laying on his back with his head against a pillow and Olivia was in his arms, snoring softly with her leg hitched on his abdomen. They were both still naked and she was spent from their love making the previous night. He groaned lowly and hit the snooze button on his phone, determined to not leave the comfort of his sheets.

Upon hearing his alarm, Olivia instinctively rolled over to her side so that he could get out of bed. Fitz curled up behind her and wrapped his arm around her body and pulled her close, trying to enjoy the last few minutes of freedom he had. He hit the snooze button 3 more times before she finally spoke up.

'Fitz,' she mumbled sleepily. 'The alarm. It's time for you to go.'

Fitz sighed. He used to love to get up early every morning and go to work but now he hated it. No part of him wanted to peel away from her body but he forced himself to sit up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up before raising his arms to stretch. Olivia noticed the slight change in his demeanor and opened her eyes.

'Hey, what's wrong?' she asked, reaching out to touch his back to get his attention. She gently ran her fingernails up and down the column of his spine, purposefully dodging the red scratches she put on his back the night before.

'Nothing.' he shook his head, not wanting to bother her with his issues.

'You don't have to lie to me, Fitz.' she urged. 'Tell me whats wrong.'

'It's going to seem silly.' he shook his head.

'If it's bothering you then it's not silly.' she assured although she wished he would have these problems later in the day instead of 4 in the morning.

'I just miss waking up next to you in the mornings.' he said bashfully.

Olivia smiled softly at his admission and sat up in the bed. She scooted closer to him and rested her head on his back. 'I miss that, too, but we couldn't be on vacation forever. We have bills to pay and you know I'm only with you for your money.' she teased.

Fitz chuckled softly at her joke, although it didn't make him feel much better. 'You're right. I just need to get back adjusted.'

'Exactly.' she nodded her head and smiled. 'Have a good morning. Give me a kiss.' Olivia requested with her lips puckered.

He smiled and placed a small kiss on her lips before getting out of bed to get ready for his day. Fitz made himself a mental note to call Andrew soon. He wanted to hear a little bit more about this open teaching position.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey y'all. 1st let me apologize for not updating in a while. Senior year is winding down and I've been a bit busy getting ready for graduation (April 29 :) ). After this is over hopefully I can get back on a regular schedule. Thank you Melanie for helping me edit when I was going a little crazy this past week and thank you everybody for the gentle urges to update when I'm taking a little too long. If I don't respond just know that I seem them and they're appreciated. Take Me Out To The Ballgame is next on my list and hopefully it wont take as long.**_

 _ **This chapter I wanted to focus on how Teddy would view Knights Ferry once he made it in town. It was shorter than usual but that was done purposefully. Next chapter will be a little mini reunion for Olivia and her friends and we'll look more into how Teddy is adjusting to life on the farm. Fitz is still thinking about that teaching position but to answer a question I've gotten before I do not plan on moving them on of Knights Ferry anytime soon. I can't speak on forever but certainly not now.**_

 _ **ALSO! We're approaching 500 reviews which is crazy to me. I never imagined we'd get this far and for that I'm extremely grateful. I'm not sure if we'll reach it this chapter but I know we'll be there soon. This story wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you all so thank you!**_

 _ **My Twitter and Tumblr names are both lynalexandria and feel free to follow me or reach out to me if you want. I don't get direct notifications when you guys message me here so it may take a while for me to see them. I promise I dont bite lol.**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	19. Growing Pains

**NSFW**

* * *

Fitz frowned as he came into the bedroom after cleaning up downstairs. It was past midnight and Olivia was still ticking and tacking away at her laptop. She had barely looked up from her screen all day and he could count on his fingers how many actual words she had spoken to him. It was technically Teddy's turn to make dinner tonight but since his first attempt had ended in disaster, Fitz took over for him. He had waited downstairs hoping that her favorite meal would attract her but she hadn't moved from that spot.

His nose crinkled as he saw the small mess that had accumulated on her night stand. There were a few empty water bottles and an open bag of Doritos chips that she had basically eaten through. She had a folder sitting beside her that she wrote notes down in but there were ripped up sheets of paper all over the floor. Usually when Fitz observed her working she was calm, relaxed and organized but tonight she seemed a bit manic.

'Liv.' he called out to her from across the room. His brows furrowed when he realized that she hadn't heard him. 'Liv. _Liv_! Olivia!'

Olivia continued typing on her computer, not even acknowledging that he was now walking towards her with his arms crossed across his chest. The whole time she had been in Knights Ferry she hadn't been on any type of deadline but her publisher had emailed her and asked for a sample of what she had been working on so far and she was behind.

 _Way behind._

She had been working nonstop since earlier that morning to try and just meet a certain word count before she sent it off for a 'review'. Olivia had always been extremely stubborn when it came down to her writing and always refused to make changes no matter who had suggested it but she would openly accept anyone's help at this point. She'd never openly admit that she 'lost her touch' but thats the way she felt.

Olivia had spoken to her friends about her writers block but they weren't of much help. They all suggested that she just needed to find some type of inspiration but she had to remind them that that was the reason she moved to Knights Ferry in the first place. There was nothing else she could think of that would help her situation.

Just as she was putting a period down on the sentence she had typed her computer started to slowly shut. The screen moving broke her out of her trance and she glanced up to see that Fitz was closing her computer screen on her fingers. Olivia glared at him and was tempted to push her laptop back open but she didn't want to break it, either.

'Fitz, what are you doing?' she hissed at him, annoyed that he was breaking her concentration.

Usually if Olivia had given him that look he would've backed away but he knew he needed to stand firm tonight. He shut the laptop completely and pulled it away from her and set it on the nightstand that was on her side of the bed.

'You've been working all day.' he stated plainly. He glanced down at her and saw that she was about to open her mouth to object but he quickly pressed his lips against hers and shushed her. 'Just take a short break.'

'I'm not a child, you know?' her eyes rolled. 'I can make my own decisions on what I want to do.'

'I know you're not a child.' he shook his head. 'But even adults need their rest.' Fitz reasoned as he held his hand out to her. 'And all of that work will be there waiting for you in the morning. It's not going anywhere. What's going on with you tonight?'

'Nothing's "going on" with me, Fitz.' she said in a mocking tone as she shooed his hand away. 'I just really wanted to write and you're whining about me working too much!' she yelled loudly. 'You go to work everyday and I don't say anything to you about it!'

Olivia was way too ashamed to let anyone else know about her struggles with her writing. She had been able to play it off for months but now that her deadlines were approaching the stress was starting to eat away at her. It seemed so unfair to her that she was finally at a good place in her career but a deathly case of writers block threatened to kill all of that.

Usually she wasn't the type to snap out or get angry but it was clear that she had just released all her frustrations out on Fitz who was just trying to help her. Her face immediately softened when she realized how she had lashed out at him and she was already regretting her actions. The last thing Olivia wanted to do was start a screaming match with him but she couldn't blame him for yelling back.

She struggled to try and read his facial expression. He didn't seem angry or upset like she assumed he would be. Fitz's eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed together as he looked her up and down. It was obvious that something was wrong but he knew she wouldn't tell him until she was good and ready.

'I'm sorry.' Olivia whispered after a few moments of deafening silence between them. 'I didn't mean to yell at you. I _shouldn't_ have yelled at you.'

'What's wrong, Olivia? What's going on that has you so stressed that you cant even look up from your computer?'

Olivia sighed. 'Nothings wrong. I just was in the zone and sometimes its hard for me to break out of it.'

Fitz nodded his head and decided to accept her answer for now. It was late and her eyes were puffy and swollen and he really wanted her to get some rest. He quietly offered her his hand once more and she took it after studying him for a moment.

He gently pulled her up out of the bed and led her towards the bathroom, resolving to clean up the mess later on when they woke up in the morning. Fitz sat down on the edge of the bathtub and turned on the water while Olivia watched him. When he took off his shirt it cued her to begin undressing as well and push her hair up into a bun.

It had been a while since they were actually able to bathe together. Usually Fitz would come in smelling like a cow and Olivia wanted absolutely nothing to do with him before he took a shower so being together in the bathroom was out of the question.

Fitz crawled into the water first and sat back then offered his hand to her once more to help her step in. Olivia sat in between his parted legs so that her back would press against his chest and sighed with content as her flesh became acquainted with the hot water. It had been the first time in hours that she actually had a chance to move her muscles at all so stretching her legs felt amazing. She allowed her eyes to shut as he wrapped his arms around her waist right underneath her breasts.

They sat there quietly for what seemed like hours simply enjoying the other's presence. At one point Fitz attempted to move his arms but she stopped him, not wanting to leave the comfort of his embrace just yet. It seemed as if all of her problems melted away while they sat together and she wasn't ready to leave that just yet.

She chuckled when he began to sit up and kiss on her temple. 'Stop moving. I'm trying to relax.'

'The water is going to get cold.' he murmured against her skin as he reached out to grab the soap.

'We can run more water.' Olivia reasoned as she finally opened her eyes. Fitz kept one of his arms wrapped firmly around her body and she tilted her neck so that she could kiss his shoulder. 'Just a little longer, baby.'

'We cant stay in this bathroom forever, little woman.' Fitz snickered softly at her whining. He poured some of her body wash on a hand towel and began to slowly rub it on the flesh of her stomach.

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but only hummed appreciatively as his hand moved in a slow circular motion. Her body slumped slightly as he began laying open mouth kisses on the back of her neck and shoulders. Fitz could only smile as he watched her slowly relax from her tightly wound state. He knew he had her right where he wanted her.

'Talk to me.' he said softly as he continued to wash her body. 'What's wrong?'

She sighed as relaxed her shoulders. 'I'm supposed to be meeting with my publishing and editing teams on Monday.'

Fitz raised his eyebrows in surprise and his body grew a bit rigid but he continued what he was doing. 'You seem upset.' he reasoned, prompting her to continue.

'Stressed.' Olivia corrected with a low groan as he cascaded hot water down her back from the towel he was using. 'It's not ready, Fitz. None of it is ready to be seen yet.'

'What isn't? The book?' Fitz laid the towel off to the side and sat up straight again as they began to get to the root of her issues. 'Livvie you've been working on it for months now. I'm sure you have some good stuff down.' he said as reassuringly as possible.

Olivia glanced back at him, her breath faltering a bit as she thought about what to say. She hadn't really been specific with anyone about how far behind she was. 'I only have about 10,000 solid words down in the document.'

Fitz tried to keep his facial expression calm but he really wasn't expecting her to say that. He assumed that the book was almost finished and that she was just freaking out about her deadline but obviously she had a reason to be stressed. 'Damn.'

She groaned loudly at his short response, now feeling worse than before. It was her first time ever saying those words out loud and they seemed to even burn her tongue as they escaped her lips. Olivia shook her head and stood up from the tub to try and put some distance between them. She was feeling a bit vulnerable now that her big secret was out and all she really wanted to do was sit by herself and cry.

'Hey, hey.' Fitz said as he took hold of her hand to bring her back down. 'Don't leave, Liv. We're just talking. I'm trying to help.'

'You can't help me with this, Fitz. I need to go work so I can try and put something together.' she said, her voice turning a bit frantic as she tried to pull her hand away from his.

'Humor me.' he replied, ignoring her protests as he brought her back down into the water.

Olivia sighed but sat back down in the bath tub. Fitz immediately took hold of her waist and brought her back towards his body and held her there as he laid against the wall of the tub. They sat together in silence for a few moments before Olivia finally mumbled. 'You're the only I've told. Nobody else knows. Everybody thinks I'm exaggerating but I'm really stuck.'

'Why didn't you just say something earlier? We could've come up with a plan.'

'Because it's embarrassing.' she groused. 'I'm not supposed to have this problem. I was supposed to come here, write my book, then go on a tour, but I'm not even halfway done.'

'Well, I think I have a few ideas that may help you.' he suggested.

'You're serious?' her eyebrows raised.

'Absolutely.' he nodded. 'I like to think of myself as the series biggest fan.' Fitz grinned with pride.

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. 'Tiffany has you beat by a long shot on that one.'

'True.' he conceded. 'But, I'm serious. I think you might be able to use some of my ideas. Plus, I'm a published author as well, you know?' Fitz said half braggingly.

Her eyebrows knitted together. 'Ya but all your books are about cows and pigs and corn so it's a bit different than-'

'The point is that I'm kinda experienced as to how these things work.' he interrupted. 'Can we just try it and see how it goes?'

She sighed but nodded. Olivia wasn't used to sharing her work with anyone before it was ready and she felt a bit self conscious about it but she was running out of options tonight. Even if she didn't necessarily like Fitz's ideas it was way better than her just sitting there with nothing down. They both got out of the tub and dried off and headed back into the bedroom where she pulled out her laptop once more and pulled up the folder with her writings in it. They both sat on the bed beside one another and he began to slowly flip through her nonsensical notes that she had jotted down in her notebook.

Olivia had a very intricate security system to gain access that included inputting 3 different passwords and 6 hidden files on her computer. Fitz watched on in awe until the document finally dropped down on the screen and, just as she had said, there was only about 10,000 words down. She immediately put her face in her hands and shook her head.

'Liv, its not that bad.' he comforted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. 'Let's just start, okay?'

'Okay.' she sighed.

* * *

The next week went by quietly for the most part which was much to Teddy's dismay. Farm life wasn't all it was advertised to be and now he was feeling a bit homesick. They hadn't left the ranch since the day he had arrived and he was getting pretty tired of just staring at the walls in the house. The other problem for him were the early wake up calls. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get over getting up at 4am and having to actually do manual labor and the fact that Fitz did it everyday with a smile on his face baffled him.

Fitz had been allowing Teddy to watch him do his research in the basement recently under the condition that he was quiet while he was down there. He could tell that he was bored just watching him look at specimens under the microscope and taking notes but he couldn't help that. The area that was once used as his grandmother's storage room now served as one of the most expensive agricultural labs in California and not too many people knew that. It was the best kept secret in Knights Ferry and Fitz wanted to keep it that way.

Today, though, was going to be different. He could feel it. That morning when they went out to feed the chickens Fitz found blood and feathers spread around in the coop. After seeing the destruction they knew that it was impossible for any of the dogs to do it and he figured it must have been a coyote or a wild boar.

Whatever it was that was rampaging through his ranch must have been scared off by the dogs before it could do further damage. While Fitz was worried about his animals his main concern was his family. All he could see was Olivia walking out of the front door to encounter some angry boar on the rampage and it made his stomach churn.

'So are we going to kill it?' Teddy asked excitedly as he watched his brother rummage through his gun chest down below in the basement near his lab.

'We? What we?' Fitz asked, his eyebrows involuntarily quirking. Having Teddy there was more like raising a child than hanging out with his brother. It seemed like he was constantly getting himself into messes. He was nearly attacked by one of the bulls just yesterday so he was a little confused as to why he was so excited to be around more untamed animals.

'We! Me and you!' he clarified while slapping his older brother's back with the biggest smile on his face. 'What type of gun do I get? A shotgun? A pistol?'

'Teddy you _definitely_ wouldn't go hunting with a pistol.' Fitz said, shaking his head. After finding the gun he was looking for he was sure to shut the safe back and lock it.

'Well, don't I get a gun?' he asked after noticing he only got one gun out of the safe.

'You've never even shot a gun.' his eyes rolled as he went to grab some ammunition from another safe he had tucked away. 'I'm not giving you a gun.'

'But you could teach me how to shoot today! I'm going to have to learn at some point if I'm going to take on more responsibilities here.' he explained. Teddy groaned as he watched Fitz ignore him. 'Are you even listening to me? This isn't fair!'

'Life isn't fair!' he responded, finally addressing his whining. 'Teddy, you can't just throw yourself into this type of stuff after being on a farm for a week. I'm not taking you out there to hunt some coyote or wild boar with absolutely no experience. It's dangerous and stupid and I refuse to be the reason something happens to you.'

'But Tom you're not even giving me a chance! I'm not some kid anymore that you can just boss around! I've been working hard since I got here and all you let me do is the boring stuff. Why do you get to have all the fun?'

'Going out in search of wild animals that have been killing my livestock isn't fun, Teddy, and the fact that you think it is let's me know you aren't ready for this.' he said as he flopped down in his rolling chair to load his bullets into his gun.

'Seriously? So what am I supposed to do while you're gone? I could be learning something!'

'I said no.' Fitz sighed. 'Teddy can you just go to your room?'

'What?' his eyebrows furrowed. 'You cant just send me to my room!'

'Teddy go to your room!' he yelled, his face turning red and a vein popping from his forehead.

Teddy's face turned nearly a ghostly white. Fitz had never raised his voice at him like that. Teddy actually couldn't think of an occasion that anyone had raised their voice at him so this came as a shocker. His parents usually let him just kind of roam free so the structure that he was getting while staying in Knights Ferry had come as a bit of a shock. Feeling a bit defeated he simply nodded his head and turned to leave, his shoulders now slumped.

After seeing his brother's facial expression Fitz immediately felt terrible for yelling at him. He didn't mean to be too harsh but his frustration had been building all week and it seemed like Teddy knew how to push all of his buttons. He couldn't get why Teddy didn't understand that he was trying to protect him.

Fitz stood up and put the gun down on top of one of his research tables and went up the stairs to go after his brother. Before he could ascend to the top Teddy slammed the door that connected the basement to the kitchen.

Teddy and Fitz weren't the only two people who were having a rough day, though. In the living room Olivia was reading over an email that her publisher had sent to Abbey earlier that morning about their meeting for the following Monday and she was working to throw the final touches on her first readable draft of her work. It would more than likely get a few revisions before officially entering the editing stages but it was still important for her to keep it tucked away.

The noise startled her and she immediately hopped up to her feet to see what was going on. Olivia cocked her head curiously as she watched Teddy storm off down the hall towards his bedroom then shut the door behind him. Before she could go after him to see what the problem was, Fitz was coming up the stairs.

'What's wrong with Teddy?' she asked, taking note in Fitz's red face and clenched fists. Obviously, he was upset as well.

'He's mad because I yelled at him.' he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

'Why'd you yell at him? What happened?' Olivia grabbed onto one of his wrists and brought him closer to her. It was sometimes a little scary to see how quickly her presence calmed him when he was upset but a part of her liked the affect she had on him.

'He wants to go hunting with me but I told him it was too dangerous. He just wouldn't let it go and I told him he needed to go to his room.' he explained. 'Teddy just doesn't understand that I'm trying to keep him safe. He's never even shot a gun before. How does he expect to track down some wild animal?'

'Well, he just doesn't get that. You know he wants to be apart of everything you do.' she said sympathetically. 'He wants to be just like his big brother.' Olivia smiled.

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle. 'I suppose you're right. I could've done a better job at explaining why he couldn't come along but it just gets so frustrating. It seems like everything I tell him goes in one ear and straight out the other, ya know?'

'Well, he's just a kid, Fitz. He's 19. Most of them think they can conquer the world.' she smirked and shook her head then used her hands to run down his chest, smoothing out a few of the wrinkles on his work shirt.

'Not me.' Fitz's eyes rolled. 'At 19 I was in school trying to learn as much as I could and—'

Olivia snorted before Fitz could go on rambling. It seemed like every other day she was listening to him go on and on about how different he was than Teddy at his age. 'Teddy isn't you, Fitz. He's never going to be you. You cant treat him the same way you'd treat yourself at 19.'

He sighed. 'I suppose you're right.'

'I always am.' she quirked.

He smiled and leaned in towards her, resting his forehead against hers. 'I'm about to go out in the field and I may be gone for a while. Are you going to wait up for me, pretty girl?' he asked as his hands made their way down from her waist and to her hips.

'Maybe.' Olivia simpered. 'What do I get if I do?'

'I'll be very sure to make it worth your while.' he said before nipping at her top lip and making her giggle.

'Fine, I'll wait up. Be careful out there, okay?' she patted both of his cheeks then placed a small kiss on his lips.

'Yes, dear.' he smiled and gave her one last hug before going back downstairs to get his gun.

From his bedroom Teddy couldn't hear anything that Fitz and Olivia were saying but he was still angry. Not only was he upset that his brother yelled at him, it made him furious that he was treating him like a child. He put on his work boots and stood by his window, waiting to watch Fitz leave the house. If he wasn't going to be allowed to hunt he at least wanted to watch. His plan was to watch the hunt from afar and then rush back home and be at the dinner table before anyone realized he was gone.

Once Teddy saw Fitz ride off on one of his ATVs he waited 10 minutes before he left his bedroom. He knew exactly where the keys to the spare 4 wheelers were kept but he knew he would have to sneak past Olivia to get to them. He tiptoed into the living room and was relieved to see that she had migrated to the kitchen to start cooking dinner and wasn't paying much attention to anything other than what she was stirring in the pot.

Teddy walked over to Fitz's work desk and carefully slid the drawer open and grinned when he found the keys laying on top of some paperwork. He grabbed them and pushed them deep inside the pockets of his jeans before dashing to the front door to leave before Olivia even noticed he was gone. It was still bright outside so it was easy to get to the barn and grab one of the ATVs. He wasn't an expert at driving but Fitz had been teaching him to accelerate, brake, and handle turns all week.

He struggled to get it turned on at first but his face lit up when it finally started and the engine revved up underneath him. Teddy was pretty proud of himself learning and picking up the things that were being taught to him. In his opinion his brother was underestimating him. After pressing down on the gas he left the barn and continued down the route he saw Fitz take earlier.

Once he passed by the stables he was a little confused on which way he should go but he soon ran across some tracks in the mud that were obviously made by another 4 wheeler. Teddy searched for another 5 minutes until he heard some of the dogs barking and he knew he was close. He decided to park the vehicle and walk the rest of the way, afraid that his brother would hear the sound of the ATV and know that he was there.

Fitz always kept a few supplies in an extra compartment on the side of the vehicles so he rummaged through the bag until he found a pocket knife. He didn't plan on running into any animals himself but he knew he'd be able to use it for protection if need be. After clipping the blade to the side of his pants he began walking towards where he heard the dogs barking.

It didn't take him long to come across his brother deep in the woods. Fitz had been sitting in some bushes with his gun cocked and waiting while his two hunting dogs, Una and Uno, worked on driving whatever was hiding closer to him. Teddy couldn't help but smile as he watched his older brother. If he was being completely honest he thought he looked pretty cool.

After waiting another 5 minutes he heard the sound of something rushing in their direction. His entire body perked up and his heart seemed to beat 20 times faster as he looked around, trying to see where the noise was coming from. He saw one of the dogs run past him and in the distance he could hear something grunting.

Within seconds he could see a huge monster like creature coming his way. To Teddy it looked like a huge pig mixed with some type of bison but he didn't want to stick around much longer to find out. He'd never admit it out loud but his initial fascination had turned into complete terror as the animal rampaged forward.

As the wild boar got closer Teddy realized he wouldn't be able to run away so the best idea would be to hide from it. It obviously hadn't seen him yet and he knew he needed to get out of the way so that the dogs could chase him closer to Fitz. He moved as quietly as he could to get behind the nearest tree so that he could watch from afar.

Once he was a few meters away the boar seemed to slow down a bit. It seemed like the dogs had worn him out from chasing him all around the woods and he was about ready to give up running. Teddy didn't like how close the boar had gotten to him and decided to try and back away a little more and find somewhere else to hide or maybe get back to his ATV. He moved as quietly as possible before stepping on a branch and tripping over it.

Teddy fell flat on his behind and cursed himself for his clumsiness. His head immediately shot up and he saw the boar now staring directly at him and making loud grunting noises. The dogs still hadn't completely caught up with them and were pacing a few meters behind.

'Shit, shit, shit.' Teddy murmured as he tried to get up and run. As soon as he tried to stand he realized he must have sprained his ankle because it hurt to put any weight on it. He rubbed his now aching and tense joint as he tried to stand once more. Once he fell back on his butt he dug through his pocket to find the hunting knife he found in the ATV and he took it out of his sheath. It wouldn't do much against the giant boar but it was all he had.

As he looked up he realized that the boar was now charging in his direction and he could see his whole life flash before his eyes. He wished he had listened to Fitz and just stayed in the house with Olivia but it was much too late to think about that now. Teddy shut his eyes tightly and held the knife up with both his hands as he became absolutely positive that he was about to die in the woods.

What seemed like hours later, but had only been a few moments, he heard 3 loud shots being fired. He slowly opened his eyes to see what had happened and gasped when he saw the boar laying dead in front of him. He took in a huge gulp of air and finally began breathing again as he realized that the animal was dead. His whole body nearly went limp as he dropped the knife he was holding in his hand and he laid back in the dirt.

Fitz, who was still standing on the other side of the open clearing, was just as relieved as Teddy. He saw the exact moment his brother started hiding behind the tree and he was angry that he followed him all the way out to the woods even though he asked them to stay at the house.

Fitz was a great hunter, he had been doing it since he was a young kid with his grandfather in Knights Ferry, but even the most skilled marksmen's hands get a little shaky when somebody's life is on the line. He nearly felt his heart leap of his chest when he saw the boar start to charge at his little brother and his body went numb as he took in the look of terror on Teddy's face.

As soon as he shot the boar and it went down Fitz dropped his gun and took a minute to compose himself. He could feel a tear pricking the corner of his eye but he wiped it away and crossed the clearing to check on his Teddy. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to hug him or kill him but he was happy that he was alive.

Teddy knew he'd be in a lot of trouble but he honestly couldn't care less at that moment. He was alive and the boar was dead and that was the important part. He watched as Fitz approached him and he sat up straight.

Fitz knelt beside him and took hold of his arm, inspecting him for any visible damage. 'Are you okay?' he asked, his voice low and shaky. He didn't think he'd ever been that scared in his life.

'Um, ya. I—I think so.' he nodded before averting his eyes from his brother's gaze. He was feeling a bit guilty. 'I think I just sprained my ankle.'

He nodded and stood up then reached down to offer Teddy a hand. 'I can take a look at it when we get home. We'll wrap it and elevate it.'

Teddy took hold of his brother's hand and used it as leverage to get himself out of the dirt. He thought he'd have to walk himself but Fitz threw his arm around his shoulder so that he could support him while he limped back towards the ATVs.

'Hey, Thomas?' Teddy murmured as he struggled to walk alongside his brother. 'W— What was that thing?'

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle lowly as Teddy's curiosity peaked. 'It was a wild boar. He probably broke his way into a spot in the fence and came looking for food. He's one of the biggest ones I've ever seen.'

'Oh.' he nodded. They walked the next few minutes in complete silence, neither of them mumbling a word as they watched the sun began to set over the horizon. The only thing they could hear were the dogs trotting around them and the crickets starting to chirp as they burrowed through the grass.

'Tom?' Teddy mumbled once more as they finally approached the 4 wheelers.

'Ya, Teddy?' he responded as he helped his brother get on in the seat, being extra careful of his injured ankle.

'Thanks for saving me. Thank you.' he looked his brother in the eyes for the first time in the past 20 minutes, almost crying as he did. He didn't think he had ever been so scared in his life.

Fitz sighed but smiled and reached out and wrapped his brother in a hug, Teddy's head squashed against his broad chest. He was just glad he was bringing him back still breathing. 'You don't have to thank me for saving you, Teddy, but you're welcome.'

Teddy finally smiled as he struggled to breath in the death grip Fitz had on his head. He couldn't remember the last time they actually shared a hug. For the first time in his life he could tell that his older brother actually cared about him and it felt amazing.

Honestly, it felt like the first time somebody _ever_ cared about him.

'Alright, alright, I get it. Don't be so sappy.' Ted finally managed to murmur as he struggled to get out of his grasp.

Fitz laughed and pulled away. He ruffled Teddy's hair up a bit before getting in front of him to drive towards the house.

* * *

The next day was Sunday and the family was all up and getting ready for church that morning. Upon further inspection it was clear to Fitz that Teddy had sprained his ankle so he went into town earlier that morning to get him some crutches so he wouldn't have to put much weight on his leg. The doctors office was always closed on the weekends but he made an exception under the circumstances.

Teddy was sitting at the table with his hurt leg propped up in one of the chairs while he pushed his food around. He couldn't remember the last time he was in church and he felt a little apprehensive about going. He wanted to skip but Fitz insisted that he get up and get ready so he really didn't have another choice. Ted hadn't brought any dress clothes with him and his mother still hadn't sent his things so he had to borrow an outfit from Fitz which was much too big.

Olivia had to keep herself from chuckling as she looked over Teddy's ensemble. The shirt, that fit him like a long tunic, had been tucked down deep into his pants to overcompensate for how big it was and the pants were slightly rolled up so they wouldn't drag across the ground. Fitz had helped him tie his tie and he opted not to wear the matching jacket that swallowed him whole.

Fitz, who would admit he didn't have much of an eye for fashion, didn't see anything wrong with the outfit. Sure it was a bit baggy but he didn't think anyone else would notice. He had decided he'd take Teddy to the next town over where there was a small shopping center so he could pick up a few items since it seemed to be bothering him, though.

Once it was time to leave for services they all got into the truck and started on their way towards the church. Teddy, although itching to learn how to drive, sat in the backseat so that he could elevate his leg on the way there. This was his first time off the ranch since arriving into town so he busied himself looking outside of the window at his environment. Knights Ferry was still a pretty boring place to be but it was more exciting to look at than the farm.

After Fitz parked the truck he got out and opened Olivia's door for her and helped her get down as he usually did. He took his time to grab her by her waist before carefully setting her feet down to the ground. Teddy smiled a little as he watched how his older brother doted endlessly on her. If he had to be honest then he'd admit that he kind of admired how attentive he was.

Trying to be as independent as possible, Teddy swung his legs around then used his crutches to steady himself and get to the ground. He stumbled a bit but Fitz caught him and helped him keep his balance. After locking the truck doors the three of them headed towards the front doors of the church. Ted struggled to keep up as he got used to not having the use of one of his legs but it wasn't that difficult. He didn't notice all of the extra people staring at them but Olivia and Fitz certainly did.

Most people didn't know Teddy had been staying with Fitz, they hadn't told anyone because it really wasn't their business, so they got their fair share of strange looks coming in with a random kid. Nobody in town had seen him since he was around 5 so he was nearly unrecognizable. A group of women gossiping in the corner concluded that he was Fitz's love child from a random woman and he was now caring for him but they'd have to do further investigating to confirm their story.

Church wasn't going to start for another 10 minutes so everyone was standing around and talking. Shannon had been in the back of the church with her friends but all of their attention automatically leapt to Teddy. There weren't many kids their age in town, especially not guys, so seeing him had all of the girls excited. The fact that he was hobbling around on crutches only served to bring twice as much attention to him.

Teddy's face lit up when he made eye contact with Shannon for the first time since he was at the ranch. He had thought about her everyday since then and was hoping he'd get a chance to see her today. He waved at the group of girls and when they giggled and waved back he decided to go and introduce himself. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with Olivia and Fitz so that he could make his way over to them.

'Wow.' Olivia chuckled. 'He just ditched us for some girls he doesn't even know.'

Fitz nearly snorted. Teddy wasn't a lady's man by any standards but he felt a little proud seeing his brother shoot his shot with some women his age. 'Just like his big brother.'

Her eyes rolled. 'You think you're good with women?'

'I got you, didn't I?' he retorted, his tone snarky.

'Because I felt bad for you.' she responded sympathetically. 'It started off as a pity date then I found out that you were loaded so I had to stay. You're my sugar daddy.' Olivia explained teasingly.

'Ouch.' he winced and grasped his chest as if he had just been stabbed. 'That hurt. You're so mean to me. You're the meanest little woman I know.'

Olivia smirked and shook her head at him before turning her attention back over to Teddy to see how things were going.

Teddy seemed to be working the group of girls pretty well. All of them, including Shannon were basically putty in his hands. Once he explained that he was Fitz's younger brother from Washington, DC, he had their attention. Not only was he extremely handsome, an almost clone of his older brother, the girls liked that he was from a big city and that he was a few years older than them.

While Shannon would never even consider cheating on Max, she loved the fact that she seemed to have more of Teddy's attention than the other girls did. She knew that she was walking a fine line and that she should probably mention that she was dating someone but it felt good to be flirting with him. It was something about him that was so mysterious and intriguing that she seemed to be gravitating towards.

'So what happened to your ankle?' one of the girls asked curiously, tired to watching Shannon get all of the attention. The whole group was a little annoyed that she was entertaining his conversation when they all knew she had a boyfriend

'Oh um, this?' he asked, gesturing down to his foot that his brother had carefully wrapped. 'It's basically nothing. I was out hunting with my brother when some wild boar attacked us.' Teddy explained, twisting the truth just a bit and making all of the girls gasp in unison.

'Did you have to kill it?' the girl asked.

'Of course.' he nodded. 'We couldn't have it out attacking our animals or anything like that. I shot it myself.' Teddy grinned widely. Fitz could faintly hear what their conversation about and he nearly burst into laughter but he decided to let his brother take credit for the kill.

'Wow.' Shannon gasped, obviously impressed with his story. 'That's amazing.'

A few rows back from where the group of girls had formed, Max was sitting with his arms across his chest. He didn't know where Teddy was from or who he was but it was painfully obvious that he was flirting with his girlfriend and he didn't like it. Everybody in town knew that they were together so he felt that Ted was being purposefully disrespectful and that infuriated him. Before he could get up and make his presence known Pastor Richards was making his way to the front of the sanctuary and everybody starting taking their seats.

At the conclusion of services everyone stood up to mingle amongst one another. Olivia was still a little wary about some of the citizens of Knights Ferry so they usually left right after church but today Mayor Holland's wife had called her over to the side. The cake she made for Fitz's birthday party a few weeks ago was a huge hit at the bar and she was wondering if she could make another one for the bake sale they were having in the town hall later on that month.

While they waited on Olivia, Fitz and Teddy both walked outside to get to the truck. Teddy hobbled fast in an attempt to keep up with his brother's long strides but he was failing miserably. His struggle did nothing but attract the attention and sympathy from the group of girls from earlier as they followed behind them.

Fitz couldn't help but smirk at the situation. He stopped on the sidewalk next to the church. 'You girls run along now. I'm sure your parents are ready to leave and Teddy is going to be in town for a while.'

Before any of the girls could object they heard one of their dad's honk their car horn at them, signaling her to come on. After they all said their goodbyes they reluctantly went to their cars. Fitz smiled and shook his head.

'You can stay right here and I'll bring the truck around so you wont have to go as far.' he suggested.

'Sure thing.' he nodded his head and took a step back so that he could lean against the wall of the church for support. He watched as Fitz walked to get the vehicle then turned his attention towards the ground.

While he enjoyed the attention he got from all the girls, the older members of the church still seemed to be a little wary about him and were staring as they walked out of the building. Olivia felt bad that he was getting all the negative attention but she had to go through the same thing when she first arrived in town. Teddy used the bottom of the crutch to pick at the grass that was struggling to grow up from the rocks and concrete that had been breaking apart over the years. He didn't look up again until he say a pair of black sandals came into view.

He gasped lowly in surprise when he saw how close Shannon was standing to him. This was the closest he had ever been to her and he finally got the chance to take in all her features. She was a little plain looking, not like the girls he was accustomed to in DC, but she still possessed a very classic style of beauty. Her blonde hair was cut into a bob although her ends were split and in need of a good trimming. The dress she wore was long and he could tell she must have either made it herself or gotten it from the store around town because it didn't look like any of the expensive garments he saw his mother or Tiffany or Olivia wear.

If he hadn't been so excited about moving to Knights Ferry Teddy would've probably realized that Shannon probably wasn't really his type but he was really looking forward to different aspects of his life coming together. He could see himself getting with a small town girl and settling down and doing some type of farm work.

'Hey.' he smiled a little shyly.

'Hey, Teddy.' she smiled back, blushing slightly and still aware of the dangerous game she was playing. She was well aware of the jealous streak Max had but she wasn't thinking about that right then. It felt good having Teddy's attention. 'What'd you think about church today?'

'It was good.' he nodded as he shifted his weight on his crutches so that he could lean towards her. 'So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?'

'Well, usually on Sundays I eat dinner with my family and then I do my homework for the next day.' she explained but then immediately regretted it. She realized Teddy was a bit older and she didn't want to seem like a kid for having school work to do.

'Oh.' he blushed lightly but tried to play it off. 'I haven't had any homework to do in a while.'

'It's not so bad.' she countered, trying to save the conversation. 'You could come over if you'd like.' Shannon blurted out but, again, regretted it. She had just gone from a little innocent flirting straight to basically a date and she knew that that would definitely be crossing a line.

Teddy chuckled a little awkwardly. 'Um, maybe some other time, I should probably go home and rest my ankle.'

'Oh, right.' she nodded furiously. She was glad he said no but she also felt like an idiot for even asking and getting rejected. 'I should um— I should go. I think my parents are waiting on me. I'll see you around.'

He nodded. 'See you around.'

Shannon didn't know whether to shake his hand or hug him so she just went down the safe route and walked away with her head down. Teddy sighed with relief as she left him by himself. He hadn't been out of high school long but he didn't know how he felt about dating somebody so much younger than him. Max, who had seen the entire interaction from afar, was now boiling over with jealousy. All of the adults who were still at the church were inside and Fitz had gotten a little side tracked talking while he was going to get the truck.

He approached where Teddy was standing with his hands in his pockets. His plan was to calmly warn him to stay away from his girl but he didn't know how smoothly this plan would go. Max knew that all the women in town were swoon with Fitz and the fact that Teddy was basically a carbon copy made him even more insecure. He looked him up and down and tried to asses what he had that he didn't have.

'Hey there.' Max greeted as cooly as possible.

'Hi.' Teddy smiled slightly. 'My name is Ted.' he greeted, offering his hand to shake.

Max hesitantly took it and shook as firmly as he could. Teddy snatched his hand back but didn't see it as a harmful gesture. He figured guys in Knights Ferry were probably just a bit stronger than him because they did so much manual work.

'You new in town or something, kid?' he asked in an attempt to show some dominance although it was obvious Teddy was older than him.

His eyebrows furrowed at the 'kid' comment but he let it go. 'I am. I've been here for like a week.'

'Cool.' he shrugged slightly but then discreetly moved in front of Teddy's body so that he was stuck in between him and the white walls of the church. 'Well, since you're new in town I'll just give you a warning. Shannon is my girlfriend and you don't need to talk to her anymore. Don't even look in her direction.'

Teddy found the situation almost comical considering that Shannon was definitely just flirting with him a few moments ago. 'Excuse me? You're her boyfriend, not her slave master. She can talk to whoever she wants.'

Max growled lowly, trying to keep calm. 'I said stay away from her. Don't push me.'

'And if I don't? What are you going to do about it?' Teddy asked, badgering him.

His eyes rolled. 'You don't want to find out, city boy. You're in my town now and you don't make the rules. Stay away from Shay.' Max said curtly before turning around to leave.

Max's comments had definitely left a bad taste in Teddy's mouth. There was no way he was going to take these types of threats and push them under the rug. Wanting to aggravate Max, and not believing that he would do anything to him, he decided to pester him even more.

'You don't want me to talk to Shay but she invited me to her place after church.' Teddy jeered. 'And I'm going.'

His comment caught Max's attention. He had had enough of Teddy already and knew he had to do something about him. He was aware that he was going to get into trouble for what he was going to do next but he didn't care. He'd deal with the consequences after he got his point across.

With no hesitation, Max marched back to where Teddy was standing and punched him right in the eye. Teddy grunted loudly and immediately lost his balance and hit the side of the church then fell to the ground. The noise caught everyone's attention as they were coming out of the building and it seemed like the world was standing still for a few moments as everyone tried to process what was going on. Olivia hadn't seen much of the situation but when she saw Teddy slumped against the wall of the church wall she rushed to his side.

'Teddy!' she yelled as she pushed through the small crowed and got down on her knees to try and help him back up. He seemed to be more in shock than anything else. Teddy couldn't even think of a time that anyone had even tried to punch him so he wasn't expecting Max's reaction. Growing up as a politician's son meant that his name carried weight but it apparently meant nothing here.

Fitz had finally gotten around to pulling the truck to the front of the church when he saw the small crowd gathering where he had dropped Teddy off. He immediately got out of the truck to see what was going on and his eyebrows raised when he saw his brother and girlfriend on the ground. He was just about to ask what happened when he noticed Max standing in front of them nursing his knuckle.

Max was just about to walk away and try to make a clean escape while everyone's attention was on Teddy when he felt a strong hand on the back of his neck. He turned slowly when he realized that Fitz's hand was on the back of his neck. His face was red and his lips were pursed together tightly as if he might let out a mighty roar if he dared to open them.

'What did you do, Max?' Fitz asked, enunciating every syllable as he spoke. It was taking everything in him not to strangle Max.

Knowing that his explanation would never be good enough, Max simply looked away. He saw all the people coming out of the doors of the church to see what the commotion was about and he knew he was going to be in trouble but he didn't care. In his opinion Teddy needed to be taught a lesson and he was just the person who had to do it.

'That kid punched me in the face!' Teddy finally declared as he started to process what happened. Olivia was helping him to his feet and to regain balance on his crutches. At first he was too afraid to get back up but he knew Max wouldn't try anything while Fitz had a vice grip on his neck.

'Max, where are you parents?' Fitz asked, finally turning his attention back to him.

'They already left.' he responded. 'I was walking home today.'

'Get out of here. Go straight home.' he said, finally releasing the grip he had on him. 'Your parents will be hearing about this.'

'Whatever.' he grumbled, snatching away from Fitz. He knew he couldn't afford to get into anymore trouble today so he walked straight through the small crowd and started on his way home.

Fitz rolled his eyes at his temper tantrum but decided to handle it later on. For right now all he wanted to do was get his family home in one piece and without anymore incident. All eyes seemed to be on them as he helped Olivia and Teddy get into the truck and they drove away from the sanctuary. The tension on the ride home was at an all time high as all three of them avoided even looking at one another.

'If I wasn't on these dumb crutches I couldve taken that kid.' Teddy said once they were a mile or so down the road. He held onto his sore eye, wincing as he touched it.

His comment made Fitz laugh. 'Ted you've never even been in a fight.'

Teddy blushed at being called out. 'No but I still couldve at least gotten a punch in. He was mad because his girlfiriend was flirting with me.'

Fitz grinned with pride. 'The Grant man charm can get you into a lot of trouble.'

'Youre right, Tom.' he said with a huge grin that matched his brothers.

Olivia rolled her eyes and pretended to gag on the passenger side. 'You're both so full of yourselves.'

'I'm done with dating for now.' Teddy said dismissively and sat back in his seat. 'Women my age are way too much of a hassle and I just cant keep up. I don't need any extra stress in my life, ya know?'

'You think they get better as you get older?' Fitz asked with a sly smirk, teasing Olivia.

'Watch it, Fitz.' she warned out the corner of her eye.

* * *

That night Fitz got in contact with Max's parents and told them what had happened at the church. They agreed that while Max was definitely in the wrong it could probably be handled with an apology and a punishment. Teddy was a little upset that there wasn't more being done but he realized that things worked differently in Knights Ferry. If he had been back home he was sure that his father would've been pressing charges against Max's entire family but here, things were face to face. ' _Man to man_ ' as Fitz had told it to him.

Olivia had to leave the following morning and hadn't even began to pack but she wasn't that worried about it. She had plenty of clothes in her apartment that she had left behind and all she really needed was her cosmetics bag and her backpack where she stored her laptop. Her plan was to leave fairly early that morning and get dressed with Abbey so that they could ride together and she didn't want to be late. As nervous as she was about meeting with her publishing team she was even more excited about seeing her friends again. They had all been buzzing all day long in their group chat about all the fun and exciting things they could do while she was there and she was happy they'd be back together.

Fitz hadn't had a problem with Olivia leaving until he saw her pack some of her things out of the bathroom and it was then that he realized how much he was going to miss her. He frowned as he sat on the bed and watched her lock the zippers on her backpack and set it off to the side. He noticed the big smile on her face when her friends were texting her and it made him feel a little uneasy.

This would be their first weekend apart since Olivia had arrived in Knights Ferry a few months ago and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle it. He always slept better knowing that she was tucked away safe in his arms he wouldn't have that luxury for the next couple of nights. Usually he wouldn't mind leaving the farm for a few days but with so much going on he knew it wasn't a good idea.

His other fear was that Olivia would return to Sacramento and realize how much she missed her apartment and her friends and her life back in the city and want to leave. Fitz wasn't sure where these thoughts were suddenly coming from but he knew he'd be distraught if she ever decided to leave him behind. He knew it was a silly worry to even think about her leaving him but it was really eating away at him. He didn't think he'd be able to survive on the farm all alone again.

Fitz was brought out of his thoughts when Olivia suddenly plopped herself down into his lap, her legs hanging over the side of the bed and her arms draped around his neck. She smiled and kissed his lips. She could tell he had a lot of his mind but assumed it was because of all of the things going on with Teddy.

'What's on your mind stud muffin?' she asked teasingly.

Fitz took a moment to take in her features and couldn't help but smile. She was absolutely beautiful from the tip of her hairline, to her cute little nose and all the way down to her chin. He cupped her cheek with his left hand, allowing his thumb to caress her skin. 'Just about how much I love you.' he answered honestly.

Olivia smiled and pressed her nose against his. 'I love you, too.'

'I can't believe you're leaving me.' Fitz grumbled softly as his mouth ghosted against hers, teasing her with the promise of a kiss.

'Just for a couple of days.' she smirked and playfully nipped at his bottom lip. 'I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone.'

'That's way too long. What am I going to do without you?' he asked pitifully.

'The same thing you did before you met me a few months ago.' Olivia snorted.

'Stay out at the bar really late and drink at James'?' Fitz asked with his eyebrow quirked,

'Exactly.' she teased. 'It'll fly by, I promise. Plus you'll have Teddy here to keep you company. He can even sleep on my side of the bed if you get lonely at night.'

Fitz groaned loudly at the thought. 'That is not the image I want in my head. Plus, Teddy snores.'

Olivia's raised her eyebrows and playfully scoffed. 'And you don't? You both would be a match made in heaven.'

He playfully growled at her before pushing her down on the bed and pinning her down to the mattress. Fitz purposefully attacked the most ticklish area on her neck with kisses, causing her to squirm underneath his weight. Olivia wrapped both of her legs around his waist and reached up to take hold of his sensitive ears. She knew they were his point of weakness.

Fitz groaned lowly as she used her pointer finger and thumb to massage the helix of his ears. 'You don't play fair.' he murmured.

She giggled as she used one hand to begin to pull at his shirt. It didn't take Fitz long to get the memo and begin to pull it off himself. He sat up on his knees in between her legs and raised the t-shirt above his head before throwing it off to the side. While he worked on getting his pants and boxers off, Olivia searched through the night stand to find a condom. She realize they only had a couple left and was glad she had Abbey set up an appointment for her to see her gynecologist. She wanted to be on the pill before she returned to Knights Ferry so they wouldn't have to worry about protection anymore.

Before she could even begin to unwrap the condom Fitz was already tugging on her clothes and trying to get them off of her. Olivia glanced down at his crotch and wasn't surprised to see that he was already getting hard. She loved to manipulate his weak spots whenever she got the chance and his ears were definitely one of them.

Fitz threw her shorts and panties to the side and then worked on her t-shirt and bra. He opened her legs up a little wider so that he could get a clear view of her pussy and had to stop himself from thrusting into her. Instead he used two fingers to rub up and down her slit and tease her entrance. Olivia's back arched to meet his hand but he kept his touches soft and light.

He continued his ministrations until he didn't think she could handle it anymore. She was writhing at his touch as she waited for him to finally give her something more and his dick was beginning to throb. Fitz pulled his two fingers from her pussy and sucked on one of them before offering her the other. Olivia was a little hesitant to taste herself directly from his fingers at first but didn't dwell on it for long. She made a show of licking his finger from base to tip then sucking the entire thing into her mouth while making eye contact with him.

Once she had completely rid his finger of her essence she picked the condom back up and unwrapped it. Fitz watched her as she pulled it out and reached out to slide it down his cock. He groaned as her soft fingers handled his manhood and thrust his hips forward in excitement.

When it was completely rolled down Olivia laid down flat on her back with her hands above her head, smiling as he laid down on top of her. 'Slow, baby.' she requested as she felt the tip of his manhood against her inner thigh.

He nodded his head and kissed her, pressing his tongue against her plump lips as he began to slide his cock into her waiting entrance. Her breath hitched as he filled her completely and she open her lips to him. Fitz kept his eyes open so that he could watch the way her face contorted as they made love.

They spent the rest of their night slowing grinding against one another as they enjoyed their last few hours together. Once they were both absolutely exhausted, Olivia laid on top of him and buried her face into his chest and fell asleep. Fitz wrapped his arms tightly around her body and closed his eyes but he couldn't fall asleep. He still had way too much on his mind.

* * *

The next morning when Olivia's alarm clock went off she groaned loudly and used her hand to search for her phone that she knew she had haphazardly thrown somewhere in the covers. She managed to locate it under the pillow and shut it down before attempting to roll out of Fitz's arms. She chuckled when she realized that he was holding onto her and must have been awake.

'Get up, Grant.' she huffed as she looked up at him. 'You have chores to do.' Olivia said as she wiggled her way out of his grasp so that she could go to the bathroom and get ready for her trip.

Fitz sighed but sat down on the bed and waited for her to come back out. He usually started his days around 4am and he knew there was no way he'd miss telling her goodbye. He hadn't gotten any sleep at all but he still felt petty energized.

When Olivia returned from the bathroom she was wearing a pair of cotton leggings and a loose fitting t-shirt that he recognized as his. 'His' wardrobe had quickly become 'their' wardrobe considering that she stole his shirts and jackets every opportunity she got.

She walked past him and looked in the mirror and frowned. 'I'm going to have to go a diet soon. My butt looks so big in these pants.' Olivia frowned.

'You say that like its a bad thing. ' Fitz quipped as he ran his fingers through his already sleep tousled hair. 'I like the way it looks. Thick and round and firm.'

Olivia laughed and shook her head. 'You feed me too much.'

'Oh so it's my fault you've gained some weight?' he laughed. 'All I do is cook the food. You handle the rest.'

'I have to lose some of this.' she complained as she slid her feet into her shoes.

'You look perfect, Livvie.' he said as reassuringly as possible. It was obvious that they weren't seeing the same things because he thought she looked amazing.

Fitz grabbed the small suitcase that she had packed and her backpack and they headed downstairs. After hugging Teddy, and having her very emotional goodbye with Percy, he walked her to the car and opened her door for her. Olivia rolled down her window as soon as she got in the car.

'Got everything you need? Snacks? Water?' he asked as he watched her adjust her air and radio.

'Yep.' she nodded and held up a bag of salt and vinegar chips. She usually hated the way they tasted but she was having a craving for them this week.

'What time are your bodyguards going to meet you?'

Olivia sighed. Fitz was still a little on edge after their incident when they went out of town and still insisted she have at least two bodyguards with her at all times. She thought that it was a bit much but she'd go along with it if it gave him some peace of mind. Her plan was to use them for the first part of the trip but then dismiss them early so that she could just enjoy her friends.

'They're going to drive Abbey and I to our meeting today at 1 and stay with me until they switch shifts tonight. They're going to be downstairs in their car watching the building while I'm asleep.' she relented.

Fitz smiled and nodded his head. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too.' she responded before puckering her lips.

After one more shared kiss, he watched as she drove up the road and out of the front gates of the ranch and sighed.

This was going to be the longest 2 nights of his life.

* * *

Two hours of driving later Olivia was finally back at home and in her apartment building. She still had her spare key to Abbey's apartment and thought about stopping by there first but when she passed by the door she saw that the lights were off so she decided against it. Instead she opened her door and turned her light on.

'Surprise!' Abbey screamed and jumped from behind the couch.

'Oh my God!' Olivia yelped and held on to her chest as she tried to regain her breath.

'Liv, you're here!' she exclaimed as she ran towards her friend with her arms opened wide.

Olivia smiled and wrapped Abbey in a hug and they both stood in each other's embrace for a moment. It had been months since they had actually been together in person even though it felt like years.

'I cant believe you got up this early just to surprise me.' she playfully jabbed.

Abbey snorted. 'Well, I wanted to see you before we went to dinner with everyone tonight. I want to know all the juicy stuff that's been going on with you before they do.'

'You're ridiculous.' she laughed and shook her head as she walked through her living room to put her things down. Abbey had already set out a few fruit trays on the coffee table in the living room and Olivia immediately started digging into them.

'Soooo.' Abbey prompted. 'How's the sex?'

Olivia cackled loudly at her forward question and nearly choked on the grape she was eating. 'Geeze can I settle down before you start this?'

'Absolutely not.' she shook her head. 'Olivia Pope you hardly ever answer your phone after 9pm and when you do you always sound like you're floating on some type of cloud. He must be laying it on you pretty good.' Abbey wiggled her eyebrows.

She blushed lightly but decided to just tell the truth. 'Abbey, good isn't the word for it. Amazing, spectacular, astonishing, stupefying, —'

'Alright, alright.' she grunted. 'I get it the sex is good.'

'Well, you asked.' she laughed.

'Ya but I didn't think you were going to do all of that. Now I'm jealous.' her eyes rolled. 'What else is going on on the farm?'

'Nothing much.' Olivia shook her head. 'We haven't had anymore trouble out of Mellie or Jake so we're pretty happy about that. Fitz is getting ready to present some of his findings to some council or something soon so he's pretty excited about that and also his younger brother is living with us now.' she recapped as she laid back against her couch.

'Younger brother?' Abbey slyly grinned and leaned in closer to Olivia. 'What's his name? What does he look like? What does he do? Is he single? How many kids does he have? How old is he?'

Olivia chuckled at her friend's excitement but knew she was going to have to burst her bubble. 'His name is Theodore but everybody calls him Teddy, he looks exactly like Fitz but his hair is light brown, right now he's just been learning about farm life from Fitz, he is single, he doesn't have any kids, and he's 19.'

Abbey's nose immediately scrunched up when she heard how old he was but then it relaxed. '19 isn't too bad, Liv. The legal age is 18 and I could totally see myself as a cougar.'

'Abbey!' she laughed and smacked her arm. 'You cannot date Teddy. He's just a kid. He feels more like my little brother than an adult.'

'Fine.' she sighed. 'Does Fitz anymore sexy brothers I need to know about?'

'Nope.' she shook her head as she put a few more grapes in her mouth. 'Just a sister named Tiffany.'

'Well, how old is she?' she asked teasingly and Olivia just smirked and shook her head.

'She's 25 and not interested in you.' she assured her. 'What's been happening around here? I feel like I'm so out of the loop.'

'Nothing much.' Abbey dismissed. 'Harrison and Maggie think they want to have another baby which I think is great because their kids can babysit ours when they get old enough. Free labour.' she shrugged.

'Are you serious?' her eyebrows raised. She felt like she had just talked to Harrison a few days ago and he hadnt mentioned anything about a baby. 'Wow. I feel like I haven't seen my little Gracey in forever and they're talking about popping another one out.'

'Liv, she's gotten so big.' she sighed with content. 'She came by my house the other day and gave me the biggest hug and kiss and it was just so adorable.'

Olivia groaned. 'Well, now I'm the jealous one.'

'Don't be.' Abbey said as she stood up to walk to the kitchen and get them both a glass of water. 'Once the year is over and you come back to Sacramento it's going to be girls night every night just like it used to be. Me, you, Quinn, Lizzie, Maggie, and now Gracie. We'll make Harrison stay home.' she laughed.

When Olivia didn't immediately respond or laugh in response Abbey turned to face her once more with her eyebrows furrowed. Liv was now looking down in her lap, adverting her gaze.

'Olivia, did you hear me? Just like it used to be, right?' she asked, her eyebrows knitted together.

'Abbey,' she said softly. 'I don't know if I'm going to be able to come back to Sacramento after this.' she said honestly.

'What? Why not?' she asked as she rushed back to the couch to sit beside her once more. 'What's going on? The plan was for you to be gone for a year at the absolute most.'

'I know, but-'

'But, what? What's changed?'

'I'm with Fitz now, Abbey. I can't just pick up and leave him behind.' Olivia explained as calmly as possible, not wanting to stir her friend up even more than what she already was.

'Liv, Fitz is your boyfriend. People get into long distance relationships all the time. You can still come back home and be with him.' she assured.

'But that's the thing; I don't _want_ to be apart from him.' she sat back on the couch once more. 'I hate having to leave him behind when we go places. It was hard enough saying goodbye this morning.'

'So you're saying that it's hard but that doesn't make it impossible, Liv.' Abbey said, now grasping at whatever straws she had. 'He loves you, right? He won't care if you're far away.'

Olivia held out her hand to Abbey, showing off the ring that he had given her over the Fourth of July weekend at his parents' house. 'He gave me this. It's a family heirloom and I wear it everyday. He wants to marry me, Abbey. Not today or tomorrow or even next month but it's on the horizon. We're not going to be able to be in two different places for days at a time.'

Abbey's eyebrows furrowed together once more as she analyzed the ring on her friend's finger. 'So you're just going to give up your apartment? We're not going to be neighbors anymore?'

She thought about her next words for a few moments. Olivia hadn't even began to think about what would happen to all her things that were still left here in town but decided she'd discuss it with Fitz once she returned to Knights Ferry. ' _If_ I officially move to Knights Ferry then, yes, I will more than likely see the apartment and move my things. We won't be able to be neighbors anymore.'

'So that's it?' she crossed her arms. 'You're just moving off and living with him just like that?'

'Abbey don't be like this. You know what Fitz does for a living and you know that he can't just leave his farm. He's put his entire life's work into that ranch and it's been passed down from generation to generation. That's where his life is.'

'And your life is here! We've been here for you through it all, Olivia. I moved to Sacramento so that we could be close! When you wanted to publish your first book we _all_ worked together to find somebody to pick up your story! And now you're just abandoning us?'

'I'm not abandoning anybody!' she defended. 'I'm going to be two hours away! You're acting like I'm leaving the country!'

Abbey stood to her feet and grabbed her purse off of the coffee table. 'You're right, Olivia. You're always right.'

'Abbs, don't be like this. I'm only going to be here for two days and I don't want to spend them arguing with my best friend.' Olivia pleaded with her.

'You don't have to argue with me.' she shook her head. 'I'm leaving. I guess I'll see you downstairs at 12:30.'

'Abbey!' Olivia hissed as she followed her out to the door. She tried to keep her from walking out the apartment but she was a bit too slow and she had already shut the door behind her.

Olivia flopped back down on the couch and sighed and rubbed her temples as she tried to process exactly what had just happened. The morning had been going so well and now it seemed like the rest of the day was going to go downhill. She immediately went digging through her purse to find her cellphone and she scrolled over to her Favorites contact list and pressed down on Fitz's name. He answered on the first ring.

'Wow, you're calling me.' he said with faux astonishment. 'I was sure you'd be too busy catching up and giggling with your girls that you'd forget all about me.' Fitz said as he worked to feed one of the calfs in the barn. Teddy was currently hobbling away from a chicken that was chasing him but he was the last thing on his mind now that Olivia had called.

'Haha.' she said sarcastically. 'You're hilarious.'

'What's wrong?' he asked, concern coating his words.

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. She had barely gotten a whole sentence out and he could already tell by the tone in her voice that something had happened. 'Nothing. Me and Abbey got into a little argument and she just left my apartment.'

Fitz glanced down at his watch and wondered how anybody could get into an argument before 8am but decided not to press that part. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

'No.' she sighed and shook her head. 'I just wanted to hear your voice and listen to you tell me how much you love me and how you think my hair is pretty.' she lightly teased.

'Aw, but the guys are gunna hear me.' he grumbled lowly, teasing her back.

'Fitz!' she laughed.

'Fine.' he groaned in exaggeration. 'I love you so much and I think your hair is extremely pretty especially right after you wash and it's curly and,' Fitz glanced up to see if Teddy was listening but saw that the chicken was still chasing after him so he wasn't paying attention. 'I love to pull on it when I'm fucking you from behind.'

She groaned. 'Baby, don't do that. I'm too far away for you to be talking like that.'

'Sorry.' he said sarcastically. 'I guess I'll just have to show you when you get back'

'I like the sound of that.' she hummed softly. There were a few moments of silence on the phone before she finally spoke again. 'And, I love you, too.'

He smiled. 'I know. Get some rest. I know you're going to kill it at your meeting today. You and Abbey need to get along and avoid ripping each other's heads off.'

'Aye, aye captain.' she promised. After saying their goodbyes they both hung up the phone.

'Tom! Tom! Tom! Help me!' Teddy yelled from the other side of the barn. He was currently laying on his back and trying to crawl away from the chicken who was currently running towards him. 'This thing is going to get me!'

Fitz had to hold his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing at his brother. Even though having Teddy around was a bit of a pain he loved moments like these where he could simply just laugh. He tried not to tease him too much, though, because this was the exact thing he had to go through when his grandfather was showing him the ropes. He walked over to where the chicken was and simply picked him up and put him in the coop that he had escaped from earlier.

Teddy managed to scramble back to his feet and picked his crutches up off the ground. He was panting from all the running he had done but tried his best to regulate his breathing. 'That thing is a monster, Tom. Did you see the way it came at me?' he said as he tried to straighten out his clothes.

'Ya, he's a real monster, Teddy.' he smirked. 'Thank goodness you're safe.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

 ** _Okay so I know it's been a minute and please forgive me but here's the new chapter. I'm going to start speeding the story up just a little so that we can start getting to some of the bigger plot points of the series that I'm excited about and I appreciate all who are here with me on this journey. I wanted to touch one more time on Teddy's adjustment to life in Knights Ferry but the next big thing I think is going to be Olivia coming to terms with how her life is changing and whether or not she can handle the sacrifices she may have to make. Most of you have already told me where you fall on the moving vs not moving debate but I've already made my decision I believe and you're just going to have to keep reading to find out._**

 ** _Hopefully there won't be anymore big gaps like this in between updates and the Gray Area is next on my list of things to write. If you follow me on Twitter or ready some of my other stories then you know that I've recently received by bachelors degree at Jackson State University and I've been pretty busy enjoying post grad life and applying for jobs. It's a lot to stay on top of but please know that I'm trying my best._**

 ** _Please leave a review or send me a message on Twitter or Tumbler! I love hearing back from you guys! Until next time!_**


	20. Sisters

_**So today is my birthday and since you all can't give me a gift (unless you just want to), I'm gifting this to you all! A few people have asked to see more about Olivia's relationship with her parents and family and I wanted to showcase that here. We'll touch more on some other topics later but this is a big chapter in itself and I wanted to cut it off there. I hope you all enjoy! Also, I didn't edit this.**_

* * *

 **Flashback 23 Years Ago**

Olivia fluffed out her plaid uniform dress while quietly sitting in the back of her mother's car. All of her other siblings were old enough to ride the bus by themselves but today was her first day of kindergarten and she needed to be escorted in with an adult. She was a tad short for her age so her feet naturally pressed into the back of the seat as she raised up to peek out of the window.

'Olivia don't kick the back of the seat.' Maya lightly scolded as they waited for the carpool line to go up a bit further. She would need to find a parking spot and try to get in and out as quickly as possible. There was a ton of work that needed to be finished at her practice this morning so spending an extra hour at the school was time wasted at this point.

'Sorry, mommy.' she mumbled and sat back down in her seat but not before watching her older brothers and sisters going inside the doors of the school.

There was a huge age difference between Olivia and her older siblings. Maya and Eli hadn't planned on having any more children and they didn't even think they'd be able to but they were certainly proven wrong. Because of Maya's advanced age they thought there would be some type of difficulties but she gave birth to a healthy baby girl with all 10 of her fingers and toes.

The transition back into raising a toddler was a tough one, though. All of their friends and family suggested that they either give up their practice or some of their other social obligations such as fundraisers and parties but the Popes had refused. They felt like if they tried hard enough, they could truly have it all. Olivia had nannies by her side at all times during the day to make sure she had round the clock care while her parents continued to live their lavish lifestyle.

Olivia was a smart little girl. She could read at 5th grade level, her fine motor skills had developed quite nicely, and she could name any dinosaur that you put in front of her. She was just… different. Actually, she was a lot different that her siblings. Olivia enjoyed reading and writing and making up imaginary stories whenever she was bored or lonely. Eli had to tell her at least 5 times a day to keep her head out of the clouds as they caught her daydreaming.

By the time Maya parked her car she was more than a little annoyed. She grabbed the basket of school supplies that Olivia's teacher had requested and hitched it at her hip then opened her door for her. She could undo her own seatbelt and it was a breeze to slide down from her booster seat. Instead of having the latest cartoon characters plastered all over her backpack and lunchbox, she had chosen the superhero Storm. She was a black woman with long white hair who possessed the power to control the weather and Olivia was in love.

'Wait, mommy!' Olivia yelped before grabbing Maya's hand.

She sighed with contempt. 'What is it, darling?'

'We gatta look both ways before we cross the street or we may get hurt.' she reasoned, turning her neck back and fourth multiple times to make sure that the coast was clear.

Maya groaned. Obviously she was glad she knew to look both ways but she didn't have time for this today. 'Let's go, Olivia.' she prompted before walking across the street.

Olivia frowned as she realized that Maya definitely hadn't looked both ways before stepping into the road. She thought about staying in that spot and being defiant but once she realized that her mother was going to keep walking regardless, she ran after her. Once her little legs were able to catch up with Maya's strides, she took hold of her hand. The other rule of safety was to always hold an adults hand but she decided not to bring it up right then.

When they walked into the building Olivia was astounded by everything around her. She had never been in a place so big and with so many kids in it. Lincoln Christian Academy was a private, independent school where only the wealthiest of kids could attend. It housed students from preschool to 12th grade under the same roof and she was not excited about that. Being the youngest of 5 wasn't always easy and she was hoping for some time away from them.

The trip into the classroom was extremely unceremonious for Maya who dropped Olivia's things off in her cubby, kissed her forehead, and headed right back out the door. She had done the first day of school thing 4 other times so she was used to it. She made rushed strides back to her car and headed to the office.

At lunch time Olivia ate alone underneath the big oak tree on the playground. They had spent the entire day painting, saying their letters, and counting but she was bored. She already knew all of this stuff and wasn't interested in a review. At this point she was just ready to go home and play with her own toys and get out of her itchy uniform socks. Lunch served as a much needed break from her classmates.

Lincoln worked very hard to promote a 'community style' of learning so most of the kids took their lunch breaks at the same time. This gave the children the oppurtuniy to mingle amongst one another no matter how old or how small they were. It wasn't out of place to see a senior pushing a kindergartner on the swing set or the 4th and 7th grade classes having a very competitive game of tag.

Olivia smiled when she opened her lunchbox and began to dig through it's contents. It had all of her favorites including a PB&J sandwich, a couple of crackers, a yogurt, a cookie, and a Capri Sun to drink. At the bottom was a comic book for her to flip through and at the top was a note.

 **'We love you!'-Mommy and Daddy**

She giggled and crumpled up the note and threw it off to the side. Olivia knew for a fact that her favorite nanny, Theresa, had packed her lunch. She saw her do it herself the night before as a matter of fact.

After sitting her lunchbox in her lap, Olivia unwrapped her cookie and smiled when she saw it was chocolate chip. Before she could bring it up to her mouth it was snatched out of her hand. She immediately stood to her feet to see who stole her food and frowned when she realized who it was.

Hillary was one of her older sisters. She had been the youngest before Olivia was born and this definitely sparked some tension between the siblings. While their parents considered their behavior as just a little rivalry, Olivia thought of it more as torture.

'Give it back, Hillary!' she yelled and stomped her foot, determined to stand up for herself. It was rare that she ever won anything when they went head to head but Olivia would always try.

'Give it back, Hillary!' Hillary repeated in a mocking tone before eyeing the cookie. She didn't even like chocolate chip but she enjoying tormenting her younger sister. 'I think I'll just eat it instead!'

'That's not fair!' Olivia huffed. 'You have your own lunch!'

'Ya. Well, I want your lunch.' she shrugged her shoulders. 'Unless…'

'Unless what?' she asked desperately, just wanting to enjoy her food in peace at this point.

'Hmmm.' she hummed as she tried to come up with an adequate punishment. When she couldn't come up with anything she simply bit into Olivia's snack. 'Changed my mind!'

Olivia's eyes watered as she watched her sister devour her snack in 3 little bites. She tried to hold back her tears, though, because she didn't want everybody on the playground to see her crying. Everybody seemed to be way too occupied with their own games to even pay attention to Hillary picking on her.

'Hillary, why'd you do that?' she asked sadly as she kneeled down to pick up the wrapper. 'I didn't even do anything to you.'

For a moment Hillary almost felt bad for Olivia. She really had been sitting by herself and eating so maybe her display was a bit unnecessary but that feeling only lasted for a moment. 'Stop crying you little baby.' she jabbed at her.

'Can you leave me alone now?' Olivia sighed as she began gathering up the rest of the lunch items she had dropped. She groaned when Hillary picked up her comic book. Before she could say anything another little girl made her way over to where they were.

'Give her back her stuff you big bully!' the girl yelled, her face turning a bright red as she clutched her lunchbox in one hand and clenched her other fist.

Hillary chuckled. 'And what do you plan on doing about it, pipsqueak?' she taunted.

Before Olivia could even say another word, the girl had taken a rock out of her back pocket and slugged it right at Hillary's head. It hit her right between the eyes and she dropped the comic book immediately.

'Ow! Why would you do that?' she sobbed, clenching her head and checking her hand for blood.

The girl grabbed Olivia by the hand after she grabbed her comic book and began running in the opposite direction to where the rest of their class was eating. She did feel a little bad that it seemed like her sister had gotten hurt but it felt even better having somebody to stand up for her.

Finally, somebody was on her side.

They didn't stop running until they were back in sight of their teacher and they took to an empty picnic table. Both girls were panting and breathing hard but opened their lunch boxes as if nothing had happened. They knew they could get into trouble if the teachers found out what happened so they kept quiet for a few moments to make sure Hillary didn't follow them.

'Thanks for helping me.' Olivia said softly, pushing a piece of sandwich in her mouth.

'My pleasure.' the girl grinned widely, showing off a missing tooth right in the front of her smile. 'I can't let people be mean to my classmates.'

'What's your name?' she asked, cocking her head to the side. They had done introductions earlier that day but Olivia hadn't been paying much attention.

'My name is Abigail Whelan.' she held her hand out for her to shake. 'But you can call me Abbs!'

Olivia reached out to shake her hand. 'My name is Olivia Pope. But you can call me… Olivia.' she said, blushing as she realized she didn't really have a nickname.

'You're silly Olivia Pope.' she giggled. 'How come that girl was picking on you?'

She sighed. 'That was my big sister. Sometimes she can be really mean.'

Abbey's nose crinkled. 'That big monster was your sister?'

'Ya.' she sighed and nodded her head. 'Do you have any sisters or brothers?'

'No.' Abbey shook her head and grabbed her Capri Sun pouch and took a look sip. 'One time I asked my mommy and daddy for a brother and they said that one redhead was enough for the whole entire house.'

'Well, I have lots of brothers and sisters.' Olivia's nose crinkled. 'They're always telling me what to do and they never let me do fun stuff with them. They say it's cause I'm the baby sister.' she pouted.

'That sucks.' Abbey's nose crinkled as well at the thought but she smiled when she got an idea. 'Hey! You can be my sister!'

'How?' her eyebrows raised.

'Well, cause I don't have any sisters and your sisters are mean to you.' she shrugged. 'We can just be each other's sisters. And since we're both in kindergarten nobody has to be the baby sister so we can't be bossy.' Abbey explained sincerely.

Olivia thought for a moment then grinned and nodded. 'I like that idea! We can be sisters!'

Abbey smiled and scooted closer to Olivia so that they could sit shoulder to shoulder. She had no idea what she needed to do to be a good sister but she felt the need to be as close as possible in that moment. She reached inside of her lunchbox and pulled a cookie out.

'You want half of my cookie, sister?' she asked, holding it out. 'It's chocolate chip. That's my favorite!'

Her face lit up. 'That's my favorite, too!'

'See? I knew we were sisters!' she grinned before pulling the cookie apart and giving Olivia half.

Before they could take their separate bites the teacher came over to the table. There was a school photographer going around and taking pictures of everybody for the first day. The two girls wrapped their arms around one another and smiled brightly for the picture.

They were inseparable from that moment on.

* * *

Olivia glanced over the pictures that were cluttered all over her apartment wall and smiled when she saw the one of her and Abbey hugging each other on the first day of kindergarten. Her fingers clenched down on it's original homemade, popsicle frame as the feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed her. It seemed like just yesterday that they were sharing cookies on the playground and now here they were.

Although she was more than justified in her decision on wanting to stay in Knights Ferry with Fitz, she did feel a little bad about throwing it on her so fast. They hadn't even started to discuss what the plan was once her lease was so up so there was no need to freak out all of her friends. Olivia made a mental note to have an actual conversation with Fitz on what their next move would be but she felt like she already knew what he'd say.

Fitz had put a lot of time and energy into his farm and research and she had a feeling he wouldn't want to leave it. Teddy would probably have to go back to DC if his brother was no longer in Knights Ferry to show him the ropes she had absolutely no idea what they'd do with all of the animals.

Olivia knew that if she insisted on staying in Sacramento that Fitz would more than likely follow her but. she didn't want to put him in that position. Obviously she'd miss her life in the city and her friends but being a writer meant that she could work from anywhere. She would have to make a more conscious effort to visit and call more but she could handle it.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Olivia picked the picture of her and Abbey up and put it in her purse so that she could take it back to Knights Ferry with her. She didn't know how Fitz would feel about having a bunch of random pictures of her friends strewn around her living area but she wanted to at least grab a few more. She'd have to just put them together as a scrapbook later on.

Olivia was about to go into her bedroom but before she could make it far she heard the front door burst open. Her head shot up but she was relieved to see that it was just Abbey. She opened her mouth to say something but her friend held her hand up to stop her.

She took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry I overreacted. It was just kinda surprising to hear… the news.' Abbey explained while making awkward hand gestures in an attempt to get her point across.

Olivia nodded. 'And I'm sorry that I threw all of this on you so fast. We haven't even made a final decision yet and I'm already freaking you out.'

Abbey smiled and held her arms out. 'Are we good?'

She chuckled and hugged her. 'We're good. Never better.'

The next few hours were spent in Olivia's bed lounging, napping and eating. While she was still a bit drained from her drive that morning, Abbey had had her hands full all week getting things together for their meeting.

She initially thought that being Olivia's manager would be an easy gig but she was mistaken. It was a 24hour job making sure that America's most popular author stayed on the top of every bestsellers list. There were publishers and critics and PR people and editors that had to be dealt with but Abbey took it all in stride. Her job was stressful but she'd never let Olivia know it.

'We were supposed to be getting brunch with the girls today but I rescheduled it to tomorrow so that we could fit in your appointment with your OBGYN this afternoon after our meeting with Cyrus.' Abbey rambled as she began to flip through her iPad while laying on her back.

Olivia's nose crinkled. Sometimes she hated the way Abbey scheduled her life but she knew she needed it. She'd probably fall apart if it wasn't for her guidance. 'Why'd you move brunch with the girls? I'm so excited to see them.'

'Because Dr. Laurie called and said that she could only see you today. She never opens up on Saturday but she said she'd do it if you gave her daughter a preview into the next book.' she said, never looking up from her device.

'I hope you told her no.' Olivia glanced over her shoulder at her. She had been digging through her closet to see if she wanted to bring anything back to Knights Ferry with her. Abbey would always send her whatever she needed but she just wanted to check.

'Of course.' Abbey waved off her concerns. 'We settled on a signed copy of your first book. I had one laying around in my apartment so I already dropped it off with her assistant and got your appointment.'

'You're like my own personal Superwoman.' Olivia chuckled and shook her head.

'And don't you forget it.' she quipped. 'Also, the Book Keeper Banquet is coming up at the end of the month and they want to know if you're coming to accept your award. I told them that you're on an official hiatus until the release of the new book but they call me everyday.'

Olivia rolled her eyes. 'I dont know if I'm up for going to some big awards thing. You know how much I hate doing acceptant speeches. And I already know everybody is going to ask me about the new book and it's release date and the title.' her eyes rolled. 'It's all just too much.'

'Do you want me to just tell them no?' her eyebrows raised.

'No.' she sighed. 'Just say yes and if I lose my nerve then I'll suddenly come up with a mysterious stomach virus and stay at home.'

'Nice plan.' Abbey said sarcastically with a chuckle. 'It works every time. How many should I RSVP for?'

'Well, theres me and you of course—'

'I have to go, too?' she groaned although she was only teasing. She'd never send Olivia into a situation like this alone.

'Of course. I don't think I'd make it without you.' she laughed and sat down on the bed beside her on the bed. 'Also, add 2 more for Fitz and his little brother Teddy. I'll also ask his little sister if she wants to come. She's really into this type of stuff and I just feel like all of her dreams would come true if she was able to make it.'

'I'll ask Harrison and the girls tomorrow if they want to come but I can already count them in as automatic 'yes's.' she said while typing their names in.

'Also, can you add my parents to the list?' Olivia asked while glancing over at the iPad.

Abbey's whole face contorted at Olivia's words but she decided not to say anything or debate her. She simply added Maya and Eli Pope's name to the list but put a +4 beside their names, just in case they tried to bring her other siblings.

Olivia's relationship with her parents had always been very strange to Abbey. Maya and Eli had never been supportive of her dreams to become a writer and they were sure to always show their displeasure about her career choice. The only time they seemed even remotely proud was when there were cameras involved. They would smile and go on and on about happy they were for their youngest daughter but they actually hated the fact that Olivia didn't become a doctor like the rest of her family.

They seemed very cold and stoic but Abbey knew that somewhere deep down in the bottom of their icy hearts that they loved Olivia dearly. They just had a very funny way of showing it.

'I already know what you're about to say, Abbey.' Olivia commented as she noticed the face Abbey made. She had never been good at hiding her emotions.

Abbey sighed. 'I just don't understand what the point is, Liv. Every time we invite them to these things all they try and do is tear you down. This is supposed to be a happy night for you.'

'I know.' she nodded. 'But, they're still my parents, Abbs. I can't just not invite them.'

'Ill be sure to send their official invitations by mail once I talk to the event coordinator for the program.' she relented. 'But I'm keeping a rock in my purse just in case anybody tries anything.' Abbey joked, a huge grin taking over her face.

Olivia laughed and smack Abbey's arm before shaking her head at her best friend.

When the car her publisher sent arrived for them downstairs Olivia had a deep set frown on her face. She had been pretty carefree for most of the morning but now she was a little worried about what was going to happen during their meeting. Usually she was pretty confident about her work but this time was very different.

It was pretty hot in the city that day so they both opted for light sundresses. Olivia's was floral print and had a huge slit that went all the way up her thigh. She paired it off with just a simple pair of gladiator sandals and a couple of accessories. All she had to carry was her cellphone while Abbey was in charge of her 'the bag'.

Whenever they traveled together Abbey carried a huge purse that she stuffed everything into. She would pack it with snacks and a bottle of water and phone chargers and even an extra pair of panties. There were 3 different sharpies just in case Olivia had to stop and sign anything for anyone and a selfie stick somewhere near the bottom. Sometimes being a manager felt a lot like being a mom she enjoyed what she did.

The other problem that Olivia was having this morning were the 2 huge men in black suits following her and Abbey around. She hated the idea of having a bodyguard with her at all times which is why they had already planned to ditch them after this meeting. She'd take a few pictures with them to send Fitz so he wouldn't worry as much and then she just wanted things to go back to normal.

The driver pulled the black town car up to the front and Olivia stepped forward to get it but one of the bodyguards stopped her. She raised her eyebrows at his behavior but he spoke before she had to question him.

'We're sorry, ma'am, but we need to check this car before you get in it.' he explained.

'Are you serious?' Olivia crossed her arms. 'You're going to make me late for my meeting. I'm sure theres nothing in this car thats going to hurt me.

'It's just protocol, Miss Pope.' he continued before turning around to help his partner inspect the car.

Olivia groaned loudly so they everybody could hear how frustrated she was but Abbey touched her shoulder to get her attention. She was equally as unhappy about having people trail their every move but she wouldn't let her know that. Sure Olivia had fans but it had never been anything that they couldn't handle. Bodyguards seemed a bit like overkill but she didn't want to interfere with their decision. She would, however, look into a more discrete service.

'Liv just let the men do their jobs. I'm sure they'll be done in a couple of minutes then we can go. Nobody is going to kill us if we're a few minutes late for this one meeting.' she reassured as calmly as possible.

'This has just gotten really annoying.' Olivia grumbled.

Abbey chuckled. 'They've been here for literally 12 minutes and you're already irritated. You're going to have to calm down a little.'

Olivia opened her mouth to respond but immediately her eyebrows furrowed. She let out a small burp as what felt like heartburn began to rise up her throat but she knew better. There was a large trashcan beside the door and she ran over to it and began to throw up.

Abbey immediately ran to her side and held her hair for her and rubbed her back. She didn't know where this sudden sickness was coming from but she hoped it was an isolated incident. They had plenty to do this weekend and the last thing she needed was a sick Olivia on her hands. She used her body as a shield from the gazes of people walking along the sidewalk. It was a bit strange to see a grown woman throwing up in the middle of the day but she would literally fight anybody for trying to steal a photo or stare.

After emptying out her entire breakfast into the garbage, Olivia stood back up straight and Abbey immediately handed her a few Kleenex out of her purse so that she could wipe her mouth. Her nose crinkled as the sour taste began to settle on her tongue but her stomach seemed to finally settle.

'Are you okay?' Abbey asked sincerely.

'Ya.' she nodded although she really had no idea. 'It was probably just something that I ate.'

'You want to go upstairs and brush your teeth?' she asked before digging around in her purse. 'Or I have gum. I actually have a whole pack of it.'

'Give me the gum.' she insisted and held her hand out for it, flexing her fingers as a signal for her to hurry.

'Are you up to go this meeting or do you want to stay home and get some rest?' she asked before grabbing a bottle of water out of her bag as well and handing it over to her.

'Abbey, I'm fine.' Olivia said in an attempt to get her to stop worrying.

'But, Liv, I ate the same thing you ate this morning and I'm not feeling sick at all and—'

'Abbey!' she hissed, cutting her off. 'I'm fine. As soon as Craig and Day-Day over here get done inspecting the car then we can go.'

She sighed but decided to let it go. If Olivia insisted on going to the meeting then there was nothing that Abbey could do to stop her. She thought about just canceling it all together but she wouldn't take it that far. She'd just keep a close eye on her as they traveled and ran their errands.

Once the bodyguards finally let them get into the car they both got into the backseat and put their seatbelt on. One of the men rode in the passenger side next to the driver while the other trailed them in an unmarked vehicle. Abbey used Olivia's phone to make posts from her social media accounts and it drove all of her fans crazy. They had missed her presence on social media so even this light interaction made them happy.

Halfway into their ride to the downtown area Olivia got a phone call. She thought about not answering but when she glanced down at the screen she saw that it was Fitz so she picked it up. Instead of saying hello she groaned loudly so that she could show her displeasure.

'Hello to you as well.' Fitz said, a little surprised by the way she answered the phone. 'What's wrong?'

'I got the bodyguards like you wanted me to but I hate them.' she huffed then realized what she said was rude. The partition was up in-between the front and back seats so she knew the agent on the passenger side couldn't hear her. 'I don't hate them. They seem like very nice men and I'm sure that they have loving families at home. I just hate that they're around me and in my space.'

'Aww.' he hummed sympathetically. Fitz did feel a little bad that she was uncomfortable but he didn't plan on budging on this issue. 'Well, I'm sure it's not that bad. And once you come back home you wont need one anymore.'

Olivia could almost see the cocky smile on his face and it made her want to gag. 'Fitz you're not being fair.'

'Olivia I didn't call you to argue about the bodyguard situation. They're only there to keep you safe. You're only going to be there for a couple of more days then you wont have to deal with them anymore.'

She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. The last thing she wanted to do was the start a fight with him before her meeting. 'Okay so then why'd you call?'

'I just wanted to talk to you one more time before your meeting and let you know that I love and and that I'm proud of you.' he said sincerely.

Olivia sighed but smiled. 'Thank you. I love you, too.'

'Call me when it's over?'

'Of course.' she nodded. 'It should be no more than an hour so stay by your phone.'

'I'll have it glued to my hip.' Fitz promised.

The ride didn't take much longer and pretty soon they were pulling into the parking garage. Olivia had already told the men that they needed to stay downstairs during their meeting and they have reluctantly agreed. There was a private elevator that lead up to the 11th floor and they stepped into it.

Abbey pulled a napkin out of her bag and held it out and Olivia put her gum in it. They both straightened out their dresses and hair before the doors opened up into the suite.

'You're a ferocious lioness who takes no shit from anyone.' Abbey told her as they took their first step out.

'Ferocious lioness.' she nodded in agreement although her stomach was still churning. Olivia hadn't felt this nervous about any of her writings since they had to search for a publisher years ago.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

'Abbey I told you that this was a bad idea!' Olivia yelled as she paced in circles in their small dorm room. She had been going at it for the past almost 15 minutes as she chewed her best friend out. 'This was a terrible, terrible idea!'

Abbey sighed and laid back in her bed as she began to dig through all of the letters that they had received that day. One after another she skimmed over the first lines of "Thank you for your inquiry but we will not be able to accept your work at this time". It had taken her three years to convince Olivia that were writings were worth something but it seemed like other people didn't agree with her.

'I knew these little stories were stupid.' she huffed before walking over to her desk and picking up one of the printed copies they had left. They had to almost empty their bank accounts to print enough and now not only was Olivia sad, she was also broke.

'Olivia these guys don't know a good thing when they see it!' Abbey reassured as she threw the papers to the side. 'Your writing is amazing! We just need one person to see your spark and then that's it! They're going to regret saying no to you in the beginning!'

'Abbey these rejection letters are from some of the most highly regarded publishers in the business. I think they would know a good thing when they saw it!' Olivia hissed angrily. She knew it wasn't all Abbey's fault that this was happening but she was definitely an easy target for her frustration.

'So I'll help you tweak the story a little bit and next month when our parents send us our allowance we'll go back at it but harder. I'll write more letters and we can reach out to other authors.' Abbey reasoned.

Most friends would've just left the situation alone at this point but Abbey refused. She had been Olivia's best friend for years and she knew why she was having such a hard time. Her family had worked to discourage any of her creative abilities while she was at home and now she was afraid of rejection. Eli and Maya told her that she needed to put all of her time and talents into working towards medical school and that she needed to leave her silly stories alone.

Abbey, on the other hand, didn't think the same. She had always loved Olivia's 'silly stories' and so did their other friends. Even Abbey's parents had offered some money to put towards her books. All she needed Olivia to do was believe in herself.

'Abbey I'm tired of this. I have so much studying to do for this final next week and I don't have time to focus on my silly little stories.' she said before dropping the last printed copy into the garbage can and flopping down on her bed.

'Wow.' Abbey mumbled and stood up and walked to the trashcan. She picked the book up and hitched it at her side. 'You're starting to sound more and more like your mother, Olivia Pope.'

Olivia scoffed and turned away from Abbey's gaze and simply stared out of the window. She was sick of going back and fourth with her about the situation and just wanted to lay it to rest. Maybe it was time to follow her father's advice and pull her head out of the clouds.

Before Abbey could make another comment her phone rang in her back pocket. She raised her eyebrows at the unsaved number but decided to answer it anyway. Instead of a human answering the phone it was a machine.

'Yes, I'll accept the charges.' she said before sitting down at her desk.

Olivia's eyebrows raised and she turned over to see what was going on. She mouthed 'Who is that?' to Abbey who simply shrugged her shoulders. Neither of them knew anybody that was in jail so they had no idea what was going on.

When they machine finally turned off and they were connected it was very loud and Abbey had to hold the phone away from her ear. In the background she could distinctly hear their friend Elizabeth crying in the background and Harrison trying to calm her down.

'Abbey! Abbey I need you to come downtown and bail us out like right now.' Quinn said urgently as the tried to hold the phone closer to her mouth to make sure that Abbey could hear her.

'Quinn what's going on? Why are you guys in jail?' she asked, trying to get answers.

'Is everything okay? Is Elizabeth hurt?' Olivia asked frantically as she stood up to put on her socks and shoes.

'Liz is fine she's just freaking out because we got arrested.' Quinn said very nonchalantly. 'Just get here fast, okay?'

'We're on our way.' Abbey reassured before hanging up the phone.

No more than 20 minutes later Olivia and Abbey were downtown at the courthouse with Abbey's father who was a lawyer. He had offered to pay their bail and they were released without too much fuss. The arresting officers didn't see them as much of a threat to society so, after some persuasion from Abbey's father, they got off after agreeing to do some community service and paying a fine.

'Does somebody mind telling me what in the world is going on?' Abbey's father asked as he started driving them all back towards the school. He had to leave work early to come and get them so he was still dressed in his suit and tie. He had bright red hair just like Abbey and a thick, fluffy beard.

Elizabeth was still in the backseat sobbing so Quinn spoke for the group. 'They arrested us for trespassing.'

'We were trying to give this guy a copy of Olivia's story but they said we needed an appointment. When we tried to set an appointment up they told us it would be at least 3 years.' Harrison explained.

'And that was just way too long to wait.' Quinn shrugged. 'So Elizabeth and Harrison distracted the guards and I slid the copy under the guy's desk. The main security guard downstairs caught us on camera, though.'

'Where exactly was this place?' Mr. Whelan asked with his eyebrow cocked.

'The place was in downtown Sacramento in some huge building. The Beene Publishing or something like that. I Googled him and he seemed pretty popular.' Quinn explained further.

'You guys drove all the way to Sacramento today?' his eyebrows quirked.

'Of course not.' Harrison waved off. 'We took a taxi and the police brought us back here.'

'You guys did all that for me?' Olivia asked, quite shocked. She had heard of Beene Publishing before but she hadn't even bothered sending anything there. She was quite sure that some big company wouldn't want to pick up her little story.

'Hell ya. And I'll do it again.' Harrison grinned. 'We're your gladiators, Olivia.'

'Over a cliff.' Quinn nodded in agreement and even Elizabeth shot her a small smile.

'See, Liv?' Abbey nudged her. 'We all believe in you. Your story deserves to be published.'

'Be that as it may,' Mr. Whelan said, interrupting their moment. 'You all can't be sneaking around and breaking the law. You all could've been hurt or they may have wanted to keep you in jail. I'm not going to tell your parents but let this be a lesson to all of you that there's a way to do things.'

'You got it, Mr. Whelan.' Harrison nodded although he didn't really agree. Next time they'd just have to be more careful about not getting caught.

While Harrison and Quinn began to brag on their brief 2 hour stint in jail to Abbey, Olivia felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She pulled it out and raised her eyebrows as she realized it was from an unknown number and initially considered not answering it. She was about to put her phone away but her gut told her to just answer it and see who it was.

'Hello?' she answered, covering the receiver of the phone in an attempt to try and minimize all the noise her friends were making.

'Hello.' a man answered happily. 'Is this Olivia Pope?'

'Yes, it is.' Olivia's eyebrows raised. 'May I ask who's calling?'

The man chuckled. 'You're a hard lady to find, Miss Pope. Your friends dropped a copy of your book off this morning but didn't leave any of your content info. My name is Cyrus Beene from The Beene Publishing.'

Olivia took a hard breath, sucking in air to her lungs as she tried to process what was going on. She reached out and hit Abbey to get her attention then grabbed her hand tight. Her tiny fingers wrapped around her flesh and made it turn a bright shade of red.

'Ouch!' Abbey winced. 'Liv, what the hell?'

'Language!' Mr. Whelan scolded from the front seat.

Abbey shot her father an apologetic look then turned her attention back to Olivia who seemed to be pretty shocked about something over the phone. She tried to wriggle her hand away from her friend's death grip but it was of no use.

'Well, what can I help you with, Mr. Beene?' Olivia asked while putting emphasis on his name so that her friends can make the connection in their head.

Everybody in the car became completely silent and Mr. Whelan reached to turn the radio off. He wasn't Olivia's actual father but she and Abbey had been friends for so long he certainly felt like a father figure to her. He pulled the truck over and began to dig through his center console for a pen and a notepad just in case the man told her anything important. Olivia was an adult by legal standard but he knew she was still a kid. He didn't want her to blow her chance at having the career of her dreams.

'Well, first of all I'd like to apologize about what happened to your friends. I was later informed on the way they were treated and that is not what we stand for here at Beene Publishing. I love to see work from young and bright minds and would have loved to see them today.' he said, his tone genuine.

'It's alright.' Olivia reassured. 'The officers brought them back home and they were bailed out.'

'Good, good. You've got a pretty great set of friends there, Miss Pope. I hope you're able to keep them around.' he chuckled. 'Secondly, I read the first chapter of the book that was put under my door.'

'And you think it needed more work?' Olivia asked, already prepping herself for another rejection.

'No, actually.' he shook his head. 'I loved it. I thought it was phenomenal. The only reason I put it down was because I needed a way to find out who you were and call you.'

Although they couldn't hear everything that Cyrus was saying they all heard the comment saying that he loved it and everyone's faces lit up bright. Harrison reached forward from his seat behind her and patted her shoulders as they continued to listen in.

'You did?' Olivia asked, genuinely surprised as she ignored the way Harrison and Abbey were shaking her.

'Yes.' he smiled. 'You sound surprised.'

'I mean, just a little.' she admitted bashfully. 'I didn't think that you all would be interested in my story at all.'

'Well, we are. And I'd like to personally meet with you as soon as possible. I'm going to read over the rest of this tonight and maybe we can set up a meeting for tomorrow morning?' he inquired, pulling out his planner from a drawer in his desk.

'I have class tomorrow in the morning and—'

Cyrus cut her off. 'I'll come to you, Olivia. Just let me know a good time and I'll make a trip down to your school so that we can talk.'

'Oh um… Then 12:30 is great for me. I can send you the address and stuff.'

'Amazing.' he said as he penciled her into his schedule. 'Then I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good rest of the day, Miss Pope.'

'Goodbye.' she hung up the phone and dropped it into her lap.

As soon as Olivia ended the call everyone in the vehicle started screaming to congratulate her but she still had a million other things on her mind. The grip she had on Abbey's hand seemed to tighten but it seemed like she didn't even notice. She was happy that it seemed like she was finally getting the chance to live her dream but she was also scared.

 _What if he reads the rest of it tonight and hates it?_

 _What if he wants to change something about my story?_

 _What if this is just a trick and he tries to scam me?_

 _Would I have to quit school to start writing full time?_

 _How am I going to tell my parents?_

 _What if they don't want me to write?_

 _What if they're upset at me for doing this when they asked me not to?_

Olivia glanced around the car and it seemed like everybody was looking at her with huge smiles on their faces as they went on and on about her meeting. She could see their mouths moving up and down but she couldn't hear a word that they were saying. Suddenly her vision became blurry as she started seeing spots everywhere as her eyes drifted shut. Everyone else must have noticed the change in her behavior as well because the last thing she heard was people calling her name before she fainted right in her seat.

* * *

The Beene Publishing was a giant in the literature world with roots spreading back at least 150 years as they helped to bring writer's visions to life. It had been passed down through 4 generations of Beene's and Cyrus Rutherford was it's current owner. Obviously he had other people working under him but he had always handled Olivia's work personally.

The suite hadn't changed much in the past few years but that was simply because Cyrus thrived on familiarity. He really didn't even like the idea of somebody changing the curtains in the foyer but he had eventually relented. His love of tradition was the main reason why he was so tempted to leave the industry. At one point it was almost impossible or writers to not have a publisher but now that people were self publishing books, it seemed like his job was being phased out.

He never thought he'd see the day that Amazon would be a threat to his livelihood.

The company's biggest financial asset, though, was Olivia. Sure they published plenty of best sellers but Olivia was the only one who produced nothing but excellence. It seemed like whenever her fingers touched a keyboard the words turned into pure gold on the screen.

Even now Cyrus still found himself in shock about how so many of his other competitors had let her slip under their radar. He had been a first hand witness to some other companies closing their doors because they weren't able to pull in enough profit. He was sure that they were kicking themselves now for sending Olivia those rejection letters all those years ago.

At the front desk sat Cyrus' long term receptionist turned husband James Novak-Beene. He was a journalist by trade and in the past years had covered everything from the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 to a large sex trafficking ring in Louisiana. But, he had given it all up some time ago so that he could have more free time to spend with his family. James loved the fact that he got to work right next to the love of his life and Cyrus was pretty generous with the vacation days.

'Ladies!' he smiled brightly as he watched Olivia and Abbey step off of the elevator. He stood to his feet and rounded the corner of his desk to greet them both with hugs. Even though Cyrus liked to run the business in a strictly professional manner, James felt like they were all family. 'It's been so long!'

'We know!' Olivia smiled and kissed both of his cheeks. 'You don't call as much now that Cyrus has put a ring on your finger.'

James playfully scoffed as he hugged Abbey then casually held his hand up to show off his ring. He liked to show it off every chance he got. 'It just gets so busy around the house with Ella and the new baby around. And work keeps me so swamped.' he said dramatically although they all knew that was a lie.

'Are you still taking 3 hour lunch breaks?' Abbey asked with a chuckle, knowing that James probably only answered one phone call a day. He was an amazing journalist but he was probably the worst receptionist in the world.

'Oh, shut up.' he said while swatting at Abbey. She always had been able to see right through him.

'And when exactly are we going to get a chance to meet this new edition?' Olivia crossed her arms. 'You don't even send us pictures anymore.'

'I promise we'll do wine and facials soon.' he shot them an apologetic look. 'I'll bring the kids and you all can say hello before I put them down for their naps.'

'Well, it's going to have to be tomorrow because this one is leaving to go back soon.' Abbey reminded, nudging Olivia's arm.

'Seriously?' James sighed and took hold of Olivia's hands. 'You're really going back to that hillbilly town in the middle of nowhere? Oh gosh, it must be a man there.' he reasoned.

Olivia chuckled. 'I'm definitely going back after tomorrow and, yes, I did meet someone there. His name is Fitzgerald and he's actually from Washington, DC so he's not quiet a hillbilly.'

'He must be pretty handsome if you're actually considering moving there.' he said before raising Olivia's arms up so that he could get a good look at her. 'Either that or he's really putting it on you right.'

'Both.' Abbey quipped making both of them laugh.

'Well, you know where to send our wedding invitation. I'll go pick up some cowboy boots, a pack of beer and rent a pickup truck and we'll be ready!' he said teasingly. 'I'll even listen to a little country music.'

Olivia snorted. 'You are so silly, James. We haven't made a decision on where we're going to be after the year is over so don't put down your deposit down on the cowboy hat just yet.'

'Are you sure?' his eyebrows quirked. 'Because Gucci had this darling little plaid ensemble from their fall 2016 line that I'm sure would be perfect for—'

'Goodbye, James.' she laughed at his antics and shook her head before walking past him and towards Cyrus's office.

Cyrus had heard them get off of the elevator but he knew he could stay seated in his desk for at least while longer. They had to have time to chat and banter with James which gave him plenty of time to get his papers in order. When he heard them say their goodbyes he finally stood up from his seat and put a smile on his face.

'Good afternoon, Cyrus.' Olivia greeted and took one of the seats in front of his mahogany desk. The only thing she liked about coming to Cyrus' office was the amazing view he had of the city. Other than that she usually passed on visiting.

'Cyrus.' Abbey said cooly before sitting beside Olivia. Her friendly smile had turned into somewhat of a stoic and blank expression as they entered his office.

Abbey didn't personally have a problem with Cyrus but she went into full business mode when it was time to handle things about Olivia's career. To her, Abbey was the best friend a girl could ever ask for; but to everyone else she was a cut throat manager who would do anything to get her client ahead. She was a great person to have on your side but a terrible person to be in opposition with.

Cyrus stepped from around his desk to shut and lock his office door as the ladies got settled in their seats. Olivia had a very strict policy on who all could hear spoilers and notes from her book so, as stated in her contract, all doors had to be shut to prevent anyone overhearing. The procedure was a bit tedious and seemed unnecessary but it gave her peace of mind and he didn't mind indulging her.

'I see you've brought your guard dog with you this afternoon.' he commented, obviously referring to Abbey.

Abbey shot him a very tight lipped smile. 'Always best when you're dealing with snakes.' she retorted.

'When are you going to stop busting my balls, Abigail?' Cyrus sighed before flopping back down in his seat and pinching the bridge of his nose. He and Abbey had been going back and fourth like cats and dogs since she started officially representing Olivia a few years ago.

'As soon as you stop putting them on the table.' she quirked her eyebrows at him but then reached down in her briefcase. They could go back fourth all day but right now she knew they had work to do. 'Now if we can move on from your whining I'd like to get down to business.'

Olivia could only chuckle at their somewhat argumentative banter. Abbey and Cyrus had always fought like an old married couple so this was no surprise to her. 'I'm assuming you went over the drafted copy I sent you.'

'Yes.' Cyrus nodded his head and pulled it out of his top desk drawer that he kept locked. He was the only person allowed to lay eyes on it so far. 'Ms. Whelan dropped it off for me earlier this week and I finished it a few nights ago.'

'And?' Abbey's eyebrows raised.

'I loved it.' he nodded his head and slid it over to them. 'I did make a few… suggestions in a few of the margins but I know you probably won't even go over them.'

Olivia picked up the book and began to slowly flip through some of the first pages to see where Cyrus had marked through a lot of it in red ink. She got a little nervous at first but was able to calm herself down. He always had plenty of ideas to give her but she always followed her gut. It had never steered her wrong before and now she was a bestselling author.

'I'll admit that I thought this little journey to find your muse or whatever scared me in the beginning.' he said without shame. 'But it seems to have worked pretty well for you. I was also worried when I wasn't hearing about any progress from you.'

'Just because she wasn't sending emails every week doesn't mean that she wasn't making progress.' Abbey's eyes rolled even though she was well aware that Olivia had hit a major hurdle with her writing in the past few months. She'd never let Cyrus know that, though.

'I just wanted to be sure. I needed to see you with my own two eyes.' he said, leaning forward on his desk. 'You're so far away. I've been a little worried about you.'

'Just because I'm not in Sacramento doesn't mean I'm not writing, Cyrus.' she said before handing the book over to Abbey to put inside the bag.

'I didnt mean your writing.' he shook his head. 'I was worried about you. How have you been doing out there in the middle of nowhere?'

'I'm fine.' Olivia assured. 'It's definitely not like being at home but it has its perks.' she didn't want to go into all the details about Fitz right then so she tried to leave it at that.

'Good.' Cyrus smiled and sat back in his seat and picked up his stress ball that was in the shape of a book. 'Glad to know you're coping out there. I think that once this book is released it's going to be time for another world tour.'

'Seriously?' Abbey's eyebrows raised.

'As a heart attack, Red.' he stood up from his seat and walked over to the wall beside his desk and pulled down a map that had been rolled up. 'Obviously none of this is seat in stone, but I was thinking one year spread across 6 continents.'

'Woah.' Olivia mumbled as she looked at the map. Cyrus had already put red dots in the cities he was thinking about. She hadn't toured outside of the country since the release of her second book so it had been a few years and it wasn't nearly as expansive as this.

Cyrus bit his lip as he looked at their facial expressions. He expected Abbey to act calm and cool but not Olivia. He thought she'd be excited about the prospect of a tour. He actually didn't know too many young women who didn't like the idea of traveling around the globe for free. Cyrus scrambled to try and find something to redeem their conversation.

'But, like I said, nothing it set in stone. We can change things around and look into some alternative places as well.' he said as he pulled on the map and it snapped back up into it's original spot.

'Don't get me wrong, Cy, it sounds like a great offer. I just really need to sit down and weigh out my pros and cons.' she sat back in her chair as all of the possibilities began to run through her mind.

Obviously her first thought here was Fitz. Olivia knew that he wouldn't be able to just pick up and leave the farm for a whole year but she wasn't sure how their relationship would manage the distance. Not only that she knew she'd miss him way too much. A few years ago she would have already been packing her bags so that they could explore different cities things were just different.

'But we can discuss all of this once the book is finished and we talk more with the localizers and translators for the story.' Abbey said, bringing the attention off of Olivia. She could tell exactly what was going through her mind but they could talk about it later. 'There's no need to head all the way out to Germany before the book is even translated to German.'

'Fair enough.' Cyrus nodded in agreement.

* * *

The last stop they had to make that day was to Olivia's OBGYN although she really wanted to cancel her appointment. The queen sized bed in her apartment was calling her name but Abbey reminded her that Dr. Fulton opened up the office today just for her so it would be rude not to be there.

Olivia had gotten hungry and they were going to stop by a Panera Bread but Abbey suggested she eat something a bit lighter since she had just thrown up earlier that morning. She wanted to complain but she knew that her friend was right and opted on a few saltine crackers and a Sprite instead.

The doctor's office wasn't that far from where they were so they opted to walk instead of taking the car that they were provided. They would have to Uber back to their apartment but it was such a pretty day and they wanted to be able to enjoy it. Olivia and Abbey both tried their best to ignore the huge man who were following behind them about 3 feet but it was nearly impossible.

When they finally arrived at the office it was completely empty but the door was unlocked. Dr. Fulton was sitting in the foyer area flipping through televisions channels with her legs crossed. She was dressed in green scrubs and a pair of tennis shoes and her long brown hair was pushed into a ponytail. She was a middle aged caucasian women with a very round face that had freckles all over it.

She perked up when she saw Olivia and Abbey come through the door and she stood up to hug them. She was both of their gynecologists so they were all pretty familiar with one another. 'Good afternoon, ladies!' Dr. Fulton beamed.

'Hello, Dr. Fulton.' Olivia wrapped her arms around neck. 'Thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice and for coming in on a Saturday. I'm sorry if I'm being a bit of a diva.' she said sincerely.

'Nonsense.' she playfully scoffed. 'Anything for my 2 favorite clients. Speaking of, Abbey you owe me an appointment as well.' she shot her a pointed look.

Abbey chuckled. 'I promise I'll set up something this week.'

'Great. Well, you gals know the drill. Olivia you're going to need to go to the restroom and urinate in—'

'Dr. Fulton,' Olivia interrupted. 'I only need a prescription for birth control then we can be out of your hair for the day.' she said, trying to speed the process along.

'No can do.' she shook her head. 'They're just standard little procedures, Olivia. A pregnancy test and maybe a little blood work then I'll let you ladies go.'

Abbey's eyes widened to the size of saucers when she heard the words 'pregnancy test'. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind until right then but it actually all made sense. She looked her friend up and down and noticed that she had put on a couple of pounds although it wasn't very noticeable. She thought about mentioning Olivia's recent vomiting incident she kept her mouth shut. There was no need to freak her out before even knowing the results.

Olivia hadn't even considered being pregnant so she simply sighed but smiled. 'Alright. Let's get this over with.'

After Dr. Fulton did her initial tests she left Abbey and Olivia in one of the examining rooms while she went to go look at the results. Because she was the only person at the office that day she sat the ladies in one of the larger rooms that had a couch and extra seats. They used it to perform ultrasounds so that women could bring some of their close family in and enjoy the moment with them. She didn't think Olivia was pregnant either but she knew that they needed to know for sure before she was prescribed any birth control pills.

Abbey sat down on the couch while Olivia changed into the gown that had been laid out for her. She tied it up in the front and then sat down on the exam bed while they waited. She still hadn't had called Fitz but she'd have more time once they left the doctor's office. She knew he was probably itching to hear more about her meeting and she couldn't wait to tell him.

Dr. Fulton returned to the room about 10 minutes later with a clipboard in her hands and her hair now put up into a green cap that matched the scrubs she was wearing. She took the stool that was in the room and sat directly in front of Olivia and crossed her legs. 'Okay so I have to do the regular breast exam and we need to talk about some things as well. And you know I have to ask and make sure that you're comfortable with Abbey being in the room with you.'

'Of course.' Olivia nodded.

'Well, the first thing I have to tell you is that I can not prescribe you with any birth control at the moment.' she said while flipping through the papers on her clipboard.

'What?' her eyebrows furrowed. 'Why?'

'Because, Olivia, you're pregnant.' she smiled widely and turned the board around to show her the clear positive reading.

'Oh my gosh!' Abbey hopped up from her seat nearly dropping her phone and bag in the process and went straight to Olivia's side and grabbed her hand. 'Liv! Oh my gosh!'

'Congratulations, Olivia.' Dr. Fulton said excitedly. She used her legs to propel herself over to the corner of the room so that she could grab the ultrasound machine. It had wheels on the bottom so it moved fairly easily.

'I'm pregnant?' she murmured although neither of them could hear her over their excitement. Olivia began to squeeze down on Abbey's hand but she didn't even seem to notice. With all of todays events, this news had become way too much to process.

'We can do a little ultrasound and try and see what's going on in there. I'm not sure how far along you are yet but I'll be able to give you a roughly estimated due date.' Dr. Fulton stood up as she prepared the machine. 'Can you lay back for me, Olivia?'

Olivia simply nodded her head but she seemed to just be in shock. She wasn't upset or sad but just… surprised. She didn't let go of Abbey's hand as the doctor opened up the gown she was wearing and rubbed to cool gel over her abdomen. She watched quietly

Dr. Fulton slid the device around Olivia's flesh until she found exactly what she was looking for. She smiled widely and used her finger to point at what seemed like just a small dot on the screen. 'And here is your baby, Olivia. I'd say you're about 6 weeks at this point.'

Her eyebrows furrowed as she took in what seemed to just be a blob near her cervix at this point. She didn't know how anybody could accurately say if this was a baby or just a piece of food that she had eaten. Olivia watched as the doctor took a few measurements of the small figure then took a couple of pictures.

'And I'm hearing a little heartbeat.' Dr. Fulton said as she brought up a sound wave that took up the entire screen. 'It sounds good and healthy. 119 beats per minute, actually.'

'Is that… good?' Olivia asked as she finally started to get her voice back.

'Very good, actually.' she smiled widely. 'It sounds like you're going to have a very strong baby, Olivia.'

'You hear that, Liv?' Abbey said excitedly, still not even noticing how she was still squeezing her hand.

Olivia looked between to the two of them as she tried to take it everything that was going on around her. She could see Abbey and Dr. Fulton talking but suddenly there was no sound coming out of their mouths. She suddenly began to feel lightheaded as she looked back at the picture of the baby on the screen.

 _When did this happen?_

 _Am I ready to be a mom?_

 _Is Fitz ready to be a dad?_

 _I dont know anything about raising kids._

 _What if Fitz just doesn't want the baby?_

 _How am I going to tell my parents?_

 _What if I fuck this kid up?_

Abbey could see the moment that Olivia's eyes began to roll to the back of her head and she immediately knew what was about to happen. She took her free hand and began to pat Olivia's cheek to try and rouse her but it wasn't working. 'Liv! Liv!' she called out.

The last thing Olivia saw was Dr. Fulton and Abbey's faces as they called her name but she passed out moments after.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So there's that! I'm sorry if it seemed a bit too jumbled up but I really wanted to get all of this out. Also I don't know much about the initial checkups but this is fairly similar to what happened to my older sister so I can only base it off of that. I'll apologize in advanced if something is inaccurate. I should've taken more time to go back over it but I have a lot going on today with my birthday plans and just haven't been able to.**_

 _ **We're finally at chapter 20 and it's really time to start thinking about how this story is going to end. Not saying that we're super close but keep this in mind. I'm so happy that we've made it this far and I appreciate you all for sticking with me! It really means a lot!**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed and that you like the direction that I'm taking the story. Next time we'll deal with Olivia telling her friends and family and Fitz so I hope you guys stay tuned! Until next time!**_


	21. The Best Gifts

'Abbey, for the love of God, can you please get rid of them?' Olivia complained as they walked out of the doctor's office and headed back onto the busy sidewalk. They were met by the bodyguards who were doing a terrible job of staying incognito in Olivia's opinion. The point was that they were supposed to be out of sight and out of mind but she felt like she had Will Smith from Men In Black following her around. 'I feel like I can't breathe. They're literally suffocating me.'

'Ma'am if you are unable to breathe then we suggest you taking a seat. We can request vehicular support for you if need be.' one of them said now following her even closer than before. They took any report of health issues very seriously.

'I didn't mean literally.' she ran her hand down her face, now feeling even more frustrated than usual.

After her little incident in the office, Dr. Fulton made Olivia stay another hour. They discussed everything from reducing stress, prenatal vitamins, and when her next appointment should be. Olivia was still feeling just a little lightheaded and she hadn't had much to eat the entire day because she was afraid she'd throw up again. The presence of the extra men was doing nothing except making it worse. All she wanted to see was familiar faces and yet the bodyguards seemed to be surrounding her.

Abbey grabbed hold of Olivia's arm so that she'd stop walking so fast. She needed to calm her down before she passed out again. 'I think we can dismiss you all for the rest of the evening. I can handle it from here.'

'Are you sure you would like to terminate your service early?' the man asked although he was already pulling his cellphone out. Olivia wasn't a hard client to handle but it was a bit frustrating considering that she had been complaining about their services all day. They were just there to help her and she seemed to be unappreciative at every turn. 'I'll need you to sign some digital paperwork.'

'Sure thing.' she nodded and let go of Olivia so that she could sign off on the required papers.

While Olivia waited for Abbey to finish, she walked over to the nearest bench so that she could sit. It wasn't that she wasn't happy about the baby, but she hadn't had time to process anything. She had grabbed her cellphone out of Abbey's bag so she immediately dialed Fitz's number. He was literally the only person in the world she wanted to talk to right then.

'Hello, beautiful.' he said once he picked up after the first ring.

'Hi.' she answered back, her voice a bit shaky. Olivia internally cursed herself for not being to hold it together better than what she was right then.

'What's wrong?' he asked, concern coating his usually cheery voice.

'Nothing.' she laughed humorlessly as she tried to come up with a lie. 'It's just really hot and I'm frustrated and the bodyguards and really aggravating me. It's just a lot to take in.'

Fitz sighed. 'Liv, if they're causing you this much problem then you can go ahead and dismiss them. I don't want you to stress yourself out over this. Just be careful, okay?'

'Okay.' she said softly, failing to mention that Abbey was currently filling out their dismissal papers as they spoke. He didn't need to know all the details. There was no need to start an argument over something that was currently resolving itself.

'What else is wrong?' his eyebrows furrowed. 'I know it's not just them that's making you feel this way.'

Olivia sighed. Sometimes she hated that Fitz could read her so well. 'I just want to go home.'

'Well, the day is almost over. I'm sure everybody won't mind you going back to your place and just crashing for the rest of the night. You had a long drive this morning.' he said before sitting down at the kitchen table. He was supposed to be teaching Teddy how to cook today but now all of his attention with Olivia. Fitz didn't even glance up when he heard him burn his hand on the oven top.

'No, Fitz, I meant like back home to Knights Ferry. I want to be home, _home_.' she mumbled softly before pinching the bridge of her nose. 'I just need to rest and recharge. The trip was fun but this is just too much.'

Olivia didnt mind being back in Sacramento. She had actually been enjoying most of her stay there and it was nice to see Abbey again. She had been looking forward to connecting with her friends and seeing her goddaughter but she was ready to throw that entire plan out. At this point all she really wanted was to lay spooned up next to Fitz and take an extremely long nap.

Fitz's eyebrows quirked at her clarification but he didn't mention it. He liked that Olivia saw her place with him as her home. 'You want to come home right now?'

'I have a couple of other things I need to take care of before I do.' she said, her eyes running up and down the laundry list of things the doctor had given her. 'But I can come back tonight. If I leave at 8 then I can be back by 10:30, no later than 11.'

'Livvie, you might as well just wait until the morning. There's going to be plenty of deers out foraging for food tonight and they like to just run out in front of people's cars. Just give it a few more hours.' he suggested, still not even paying attention to Teddy as he dropped some of the chicken breasts they were supposed to be eating.

'Fine, fine.' she groaned. Sometimes she hated the way Fitz tried to keep her safe from everything in the world but he knew she had good intentions. 'Tell me about your day?'

'Nothing else major happened. The mayor finally delivered all the mail we've been waiting on so I have bags of fan mail for you to open when you get home.' he said, glancing over at the garbage bags full of letters that people had sent Olivia. He almost felt bad for her but he realized she'd probably make him read some of it as well and the thought made him sick to the stomach. 'I also got my UAV in today. I'm letting it charge right now.' Fitz grinned proudly.

'What in the world is a UAV?' she asked, just wanting to get her mind off of her current situation.

'A UAV is a remotely piloted aircraft that's flown by a stick and rudder system.' he said, excited that she asked more. 'I'm going to use it fly across some of the land in the back and observe the animal's behavior when not directly influenced by me. I want to include migration behavior in bovine and swine so I need to be able to watch without disturbing them.'

Olivia chuckled under her breath. That was literally one of the most boring explanations she had ever heard in her life but she wouldn't tell him that. That would crush his spirits and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She found it oddly charming that he enjoyed nerding out over some of the most mundane things in the world.

'That sounds wonderful, Fitz.' she said, shaking her head.

'I'll teach you how to fly it when you get back. I'm going to install another antenna on my controller so it can travel a few more miles. It uses the same technology that Amazon uses to do the remote deliveries.' he gushed.

Abbey got done with the bodyguards and walked over to where Olivia was sitting. She hitched her bag over her shoulder once more. 'Ready, Liv?'

'Ya.' Olivia nodded. 'Fitz, I'll call you later. Abbey and I have a lot to do today.'

'Sure thing.' he nodded. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too.' she smiled softly and hung up the phone.

'Did you tell him?' Abbey asked although she had a good feeling what the answer was. She knew Olivia needed time to sit down and process all of this before she said anything to anyone else.

'No!' she shook her head. 'I wanted to but I don't think I'm ready yet.'

Abbey used her phone to direct them to the closest Walgreens. Olivia worked on keeping her head down just in case anybody recognized her today. She usually didn't mind being seen by her fans, she actually loved it, but she didn't feel like being social today. She ran her hand up and down her abdomen and was just a little disappointed when she didn't feel anything.

'Liv it's way too early for you to be feeling anything down there.' Abbey chuckled and shook her head as she noticed Olivia's small gesture.

'I know.' her bottom lip poked out. 'But it just feels weird knowing theres a little human being inside of me. Like they're so little that I can't even feel them. They're not even moving around in there and yet I'm still throwing up and getting fatter.'

'You're not getting fat.' Abbey chuckled and shook her head. 'Your ass is looking a little plump though.' she commented with a wink.

Olivia smacked Abbey's arm. 'Shut up.'

'You look fine, Liv.' she chuckled and shook her head. 'And you're worrying about nothing. I'm sure Fitz is going to be so happy about this. And stop poking at your belly. My nephew is trying to rest in there.'

She nearly burst out laughing. 'Abbey what in the world makes you think it's a boy?'

'I just _know_.' she shrugged. 'I have absolutely no doubt in my mind. You can name him after me if you'd like.'

'What an honor.' Olivia said sarcastically.

I'm thinking something along the lines of Addison or Abram or Adbiel.' she said, ignoring Olivia's snarkiness. 'Ooooh, Abdiel sounds unique and mysterious.' Abbey rambled as they walked into the store.

'I don't think Fitz is going to go for Abdiel.' her eyes rolled. She picked up a basket at the front of the store and held it in the bend of her elbow before following Abbey through the aisles.

'Abram is fine, then.' she said nonchalantly. 'Liv, I'm going to set you up a subscription to a weekly prenatal care package. I don't want you running out of anything while you're so far away and I doubt they carry vitamins at that little general store.'

'Yes ma'am.' she answered, holding back a giggle. It was sometimes comical to see the way she switched from best friend mode to manager mode in the blink of an eye.

'And I feel like I read somewhere that cherries are really good for pregnant women. I think they help keep your bowel movements regular or something so we need some of those as well.' she continued before putting some things in the basket on Olivia's arm.

'I don't think there's anything wrong with my bowel movements.' she snorted but just accepted the advice.

'Just in case. Remember that time in high school you got really constipated before finals and you had to see the nurse?' she reminded a bit too loudly for Olivia's taste. She pulled her phone out of her bag and began googling things that pregnant women needed.

While Abbey was distracted, Olivia wandered off to the baby isle to look around. It was a bit surreal to take in everything that was there. She usually passed by it and never paid it a second thought but, today, she actually began to think. There seemed like there were hundreds of brands of toys and pacifiers and diapers and she wouldn't know where to start even if she tried. She contemplated buying a couple of items today but she knew it was a bit crazy considering that she was only 6 weeks pregnant.

Olivia picked up a pacifier in the shape of a strawberry and found herself wondering if her baby would even like that particular flavor. For all she knew the baby could've been allergic to strawberry and then they'd probably break out into hives and then she definitely wouldn't know what to do. She felt a tear prick her eye as her thoughts began to overwhelm her again but she ignored it.

Abbey found her on the isle moments later. She had gone back to the front of the store and had grabbed an actual rolling basket and she had already filled it up with different things. 'Olivia I just read that you may get heartburn so I just got you a ton of these like relief patch things you can try. And I— What's wrong with you?' she asked with her head cocked as she noticed her eyes were red and puffy.

'Abbey, what if the baby is allergic to strawberries?' she asked, holding up the pacifier.

She rolled her eyes. 'You can't be serious right now, Liv. The baby probably won't be allergic to a strawberry flavored pacifier.' Abbey grabbed the pacifier out of her hands and put it back in its respective spot. 'What is wrong with you? You were fine a minute ago.'

'I'm sorry.' Olivia said before chuckling at herself. She knew that she was acting ridiculous but she couldn't help it. 'It must be the pregnancy hormones or something.'

Abbey looked her up and down for a moment before her lips spread into wide smile and she burst out laughing. 'You crazy, bitch. You just found out you were pregnant 2 hours ago. Don't blame Abram on this.'

'You're right.' she sniffled and laughed along with her. She needed to get herself together before they saw their friends and especially before she made it back home.

* * *

The next morning, Abbey sent Olivia back home with a trunk full of stuff. Abbey had already blabbed to her parents about the pregnancy and they had explained to them that all the stuff they bought was overkill but neither of them cared. They had been looking at pregnancy announcements and nursery colors the whole time they were home.

Olivia had to cancel brunch with her friends but she did invite them all over for a quick breakfast and so that she could share the news. A major part of her felt bad for letting all these other people know before Fitz but she wanted it be special for him. She had been a fit of nerves and anxiety and he didn't deserve that. She knew he'd be excited and she didn't want to kill the mood for him.

Dr. Fulton knew of a little shop that specialized in making baby and nursery items and they were very happy to open up for a few minutes for Olivia to come in and pick out a few things. She had even gotten a little monkey for Fitz that played a recording of the baby's heartbeat when the button was pushed. She spent the remainder of her time wrapping up the box of things she bought. She had Abbey to help her because she was terrible at arts and crafts type projects.

She had left earlier that morning but she still wouldn't be back in time for church services. Olivia knew that Fitz wanted to be home to greet her but this would at least give her enough time to be able to carry the things in the house and hide them. She thought about just going by her place and setting things up there but it seemed pretty pointless. They'd have to move everything back to the farmhouse eventually so there was no need to make 2 trips. She'd just have to be careful.

When she arrived home she pressed the button to let her into the gate then started driving down the path. Olivia frowned when she saw Fitz's truck still parked outside of the house which meant that he had definitely missed service today. She rubbed her temples but put the car in park and grabbed her purse from the passenger side. She'd have to come back for the rest of the stuff later.

Before she could take 2 steps out of the car, Fitz was already coming out of the front door and heading towards her. He was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, a dirty baseball cap, and a grin. Olivia raised her eyebrows at his attire but before she could even ask about it he had his lips on hers and was pinning her to the car. He missed her way more than he could ever imagine.

'Somebody's glad to see me.' she chuckled against his mouth, trying to pull away so that she could get a few words out.

' _Missed you_.' he murmured back as he nearly devoured her lips.

'Olivia!' Teddy called out from the front door as he came out of the house. His black eye was still going down but it was hard to notice and he still had to walk around with crutches. He had gotten used to them kissing all the time and had learned to tune it out. His parents did the exact same thing so this really wasn't anything new. 'Thank God you're home! Fitz broke the washer!' he tattled.

Olivia burst out laughing and pushed Fitz away from her. This helped to explain why Fitz was shirtless and why Teddy was wearing a pair of pants that had dirt all over them. Obviously he didn't expect for her to come in and fix it herself, but things just seemed to run way smoother when she was home.

'Are you serious?' she asked, looking him up and down.

'It wasn't my fault.' his face flustered. 'Stupid, old thing needs some new parts.'

'Well, you both look ridiculous.' she said as she glanced over them both. 'I guess we'll just have to wash clothes at my place until it gets fixed.'

'I suppose.' Fitz sighed and stepped to the side next to the trunk of the car. 'I'm sure you went shopping while you were gone. I'll get your bags for you.'

Olivia's face flustered as she put her hand on top of the trunk so that it wouldn't lift. 'I didn't buy anything at all. There's nothing back there.' she shook her head.

'Really?' he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. It was very unlike her to miss out on a shopping trip. 'Well, where's your luggage?'

'In the backseat.' she said, redirecting him from the trunk full of pregnancy things she and Abbey had purchased.

Fitz smiled and kissed her temple as he passed by her to get her suitcase out of the backseat. She sighed with relief as she watched him go inside and Teddy hobbled in after him. He was starting to get better on his crutches so he wasn't doing nearly as much stumbling as before. Olivia was sure to lock her car door before following them inside.

* * *

That night the three of them shared a dinner that Teddy made. The steak was extremely dry, the vegetables were way too salty, and the bread was undercooked, but he was very proud of his creation. Olivia and Fitz both just smiled and nodded their heads as they suffered through the meal but she could feel herself getting sick to her stomach. She put her hand on her belly and just prayed that it would settle down before she threw up all over the table.

Fitz, on the other hand, was nearly choking every time he swallowed something. He felt like he was going to break his teeth trying to chew on what was supposed to be mashed potatoes. Teddy was way too happy to notice the taste of the food or their facial expressions.

'I made dessert, too.' he said before standing up from his chair in the dining room. 'I'll be right back!'

Olivia smiled brightly as he walked out then turn to Fitz and whispered. 'Fitz, I can't eat this. This is terrible.'

'He just needs a bit more practice.' he tried to justify although he cringed when he put another piece of broccoli in his mouth.

Instead of suffering through the rest of the meal, Fitz grabbed both of their plates and raked the remaining contents into the plant that was in the room. He'd have to clean it out later but the meal was unbearable.

Teddy returned a few moments later with what seemed to be a cake in his hands. It was a bit lopsided and the icing seemed to be melting off but at least it looked edible. He sat the dish in the middle of the table and then pulled the knife out of his apron pocket.

'Wow, you guys must have really liked your food. You finished it all.' he commented as he began to cut into the cake. 'There's plenty of leftovers in the kitchen if you want.'

'No, thank you.' Olivia nearly choked out. The food definitely wasn't agreeing with her or the baby. 'I'm soooo excited about this cake, though. What flavor is it?'

'It's actually a mixture of 3 different cake mixes that I found in the cabinet.' he said proudly as he began to explain his creation. 'It's red velvet, chocolate, and confetti cupcake. I couldn't decide on which one.'

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose but held out his plate for a piece anyway. He was now extremely grateful for all of those summers he spent with his grandparents where they taught him at least the basics of cooking. Teddy was more like a mad scientist than a chef at his point.

Olivia was going to put a piece on her plate but when Teddy cut into it they could tell that it was still gooey in the middle. She had to excuse herself once she felt some of her food coming up. She knew that Fitz would worry if she was sick and she wasn't ready to tell him just yet. The plan was to wait until they were somewhere private and then to tell Teddy afterwords. She wanted their moment to be absolutely perfect.

While Fitz was occupied in the dining room, Olivia went outside to her car and grabbed some of her heartburn medication. She had called Abbey crazy earlier for buying so much but now she was grateful for it all. She also grabbed the box she had bought him while she was still in Sacramento with the pregnancy announcement in it. She was able to sneak it upstairs and hide it underneath her side of the bed before going to the bathroom.

After stripping out of her clothes, she ran some water in the bathtub and crawled into it. She usually filled it with soap and bubbles, but tonight she actually wanted to see herself. Olivia glanced down at her growing stomach and put both of her hands on it to try and see if she could notice any change. She inspected herself for stretch marks or bumps but couldn't see any.

Her internet research had told her that she probably wouldn't start to feel the baby moving until around 25 weeks because she was a new mother. That fact still didn't stop Olivia from poking different areas on her stomach to try and get a reaction from the life growing inside of her. She poked her belly out then flattened it as best she could but still couldn't even feel a flutter.

'Are you in there?' she mumbled lowly as she rubbed her stomach. 'What are you doing? I'm trying to talk to you.'

'Liv, who are you talking to?' Fitz asked from the bathroom doorway. He hadn't seen her other interactions but he could hear her saying something. He took a few more steps in and cocked his head at her.

If Olivia had been a couple of shades lighter, she would have blushed bright red. She quickly shook her head and grabbed her towel to pretend as if she had been washing the whole time. 'Nobody. I was just thinking out loud.'

Fitz's eyes squinted but he didn't think much of it. Instead he sat on the edge of the tub and grabbed the towel from her. He dipped it in the hot water and then put it at the top of her back so that the liquid would run down her spine. He smiled when she hummed appreciatively and shut her eyes, her tense muscles relaxing.

'Tell me about your meeting.' he prompted.

'It actually went really good.' she said, stretching her neck as Fitz continued to wash her back. She wondered how he'd feel about helping her get to her other areas when she was no longer able to reach them for herself. 'Cyrus loved what I had down so far.'

'I told you you had nothing to worry about.' he grinned widely. He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. Fitz hadn't said it out loud but he had been worried about her meeting all weekend long.

'Well, I wouldn't have had anything down if you hadnt helped me.' Olivia said as she finally looked up at him.

'That's what I'm here for, Liv.' he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

'Don't forget that the awards ceremony is coming up at the end of the month. I told Abbey that you and Teddy are coming and I also thought about sending invitations to the rest of your family.' she suggested.

Fitz groaned at the thought. He was just starting to get used to having Teddy around and now everybody would be in his space. 'Liv, that wasn't part of the deal.'

'It'll only be for a few days.' she smirked. 'And I doubt your a parents would want to stay here with us. We can get them a nice hotel downtown near the ballroom. Maybe even Teddy would want to stay with them for a little while. Then maybe we could continue what we started in the kitchen a few days ago.' Olivia said suggestively, knowing he'd like that idea.

He could feel his cock twitch but he calmed himself down. 'I like the sound of that, actually. It's been a while since I've been able to fuck you all around the house.'

Olivia smirked and shook her head at him before continuing. She didn't want him getting all hot and bothered tonight before she gave him the box. 'He liked it so much, actually, that he wants to send me back on tour.' she mentioned, wanting to gauge his reaction to the idea.

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. 'And what did you say?'

'I told him that I would have to think about it.' she shrugged. 'I didn't want to make some major decision without even consulting you first. I've done them before and it was fun. They're a lot of fun, actually. But, that was years ago.'

'Well, I think you should do it.' he grabbed her body wash from the edge of the tub and squirted it on the towel.

'Really?' Olivia raised her eyebrows.

'Yes.' Fitz nodded and tapped her arm, prompting her to raise it. 'It'll be fun and I'm sure your fans are dying to see you. You seem surprised by my answer.'

'A little.' she said honestly. 'I didnt think you'd want me to leave. It's an international tour and I'll probably be gone for a while.'

'I wouldn't keep you from furthering your career, Olivia.' he shook his head as he washed under her arm. 'It's going to be hard not having you around here, but we can make this work. Some weeks I'll fly out to see you and we'll do a mini-vacation wherever you are.'

'Mhhmm.' she hummed with a smile. 'I like the sound of that.'

'This might push back some of our other plans, but we're not in a rush right now. When does Cyrus need to know his answer?'

'He didn't say.' she sat back in the tub with her back against the wall. 'I'm sure we need to have some type of plan though before official publication.'

'Do it, Liv. We can work the logistics out later, okay?' he smiled warmly at her.

Olivia bit her lip but smiled and nodded her head. Fitz seemed pretty accepting right then but she wondered how he'd feel once she told him the other news. She imagined that he'd want to stay pretty close while she was pregnant but he wouldn't be able to just abandon the farm, either. They'd have to cross that bridge once they got to it.

Fitz leaned forward to kiss her lips then he stood up from the edge of the tub and went into the bedroom, leaving Olivia alone once more. That professor position was looking more and more appealing now. He could teach classes online and still be able to go with Olivia on tour. That would also give him an excuse to visit some of his friends in different countries. One of his classmates was breeding hybrid vegetables on Swedish soil and he'd love to go and see that.

His main priority, though, was Olivia's happiness. If she wanted to go on tour then he wouldn't stop her and he wouldn't make her choose between him or her success. He knew that she could have it all and he was going to support that. He thought they'd be able to at least get married within the next year but it seemed like that plan needed to be put on hold for now.

He reached inside of his drawer and began getting ready for the night. Usually Fitz just wore a pair of boxers to bed so that was all he really needed. Most of the time Olivia would end up taking them off, though, so he never ended up sleeping that way. He could hear Olivia getting out of the tub when her phone started to ring on the nightstand.

'Who is that, Fitz?' she called out as she wrapped herself up in a towel.

Fitz glanced down at the phone and crinkled his nose when he saw the unfamiliar name. 'It says Eli Pope. Want me to answer it?'

Olivia's breath hitched and she made a few rushed strides back into the bedroom. 'It's my father.' she explained.

Fitz's ears immediately perked up when he heard that. He didn't know much about Olivia's family other than that they were all doctors and, for the most part, they all treated her like crap. He never understood why and she never went into much detail so he didn't pry. He sat down on the bed and she cuddled up next to him as she answered the phone.

'Hello?' she answered softly. She was a little surprised that she was hearing from them at all, let alone that late in the evening.

'Olivia.' Eli acknowledged cooly. His voice had always been very deep and almost cold. Even when she was younger she could tell that he was just very distant. 'Abigail personally delivered your invitation to us.'

'Wonderful.' she smiled lightly. 'Do you all think you can make it?'

'I'm pretty sure that we can fit it in our schedules although you shouldn't have waited so long to tell us. We do have things going on, you know?' he asked a bit scoldingly. Eli continued to speak instead of waiting on her answer. 'Your mother wanted me to call you and request one more seat.'

'Oh?' her eyebrows furrowed. 'Who's the extra seat for?'

'Ethan has recently gotten engaged and will be bringing his fiancé with him. She's apart of the family now.' he explained.

Olivia's face dropped at the news. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her brother, because she was, it just hurt that nobody even thought to text her and let her know. Ethan was the oldest of her siblings and he acted just like their father. Scrutinizing, meticulous, and very tightlipped. Fitz's heart melted after seeing her face. He could only hear bits and pieces of what Eli was saying but her expression said it all.

'Oh, no. I had no idea, actually.' she said, fighting back a few tears. She cursed herself for being so overemotional right then. Olivia could usually brush her family's antics off pretty well but she was hurt. She blamed the hormones, though.

'Well, now you know.' he said, not even paying attention to the way Olivia's voice broke. 'You have a good night. Please make sure Abigail receives our seating changes and is able to accommodate us.'

'Yes sir.' she said quietly before her father hung up the phone. Olivia tossed it back on the nightstand and sighed.

'Livvie,' Fitz started and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He had never seen her look this upset about anything and he hated it. He'd never had to deal with anything like this from his family so he wasn't even sure what to say to console her. 'talk to me.'

'There's nothing to talk about.' she sighed. 'He didn't even congratulate me on my award. He just hung up in my face.'

Fitz kissed her temple and let his lips linger there. 'It's going to be okay. It was wrong for your brother not to tell you that he's going to get married but that's his loss. Anybody would be lucky to have you as an active part of their lives, and you give great gifts.' he teased lightly, hoping to soften the mood a bit.

Olivia chuckled and wiped another tear away from her cheek. 'I do give pretty good gifts, don't I?'

'The best gifts.' he clarified and smiled. 'Don't let them get to you. Let's just enjoy our night, alright?'

'Alright.' her lips curled up into a weak smile wrapping her arms around him.

Olivia decided to put off the announcement until the next morning. The whole conversation with her father had completely thrown off her mood and she wanted to be happy when she finally told Fitz. Instead, she put on a silk nightie and crawled underneath the covers with him. They had only spent a night apart but it felt good to be back in his arms where she belonged.

* * *

The next morning Olivia woke up with Fitz's alarm clock. It was 3am but the sun was finally starting to rise in the horizon. She squinted her eyes as she tried to adjust to the light although it was nearly impossible. While she was struggling to just roll over, he was getting out of the bed and humming a happy little tune as he tried to find a t-shirt to put on. He didn't like leaving the comfort of his covers but he had gotten used to it.

'Fitz, wait.' she yawned out and sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Fitz's face perked up as he realized that she was awake. He smiled and walked back over to the bed and sat down near her knees. 'Good morning. What are you doing up?' he asked curiously. It was a well known fact that she hated getting up early or being woken up so he was more than a bit surprised.

'I have a gift for you and I need you to open it right now.' she said before leaning over the edge of the bed and pulling the box out. It was green with red, pink, and blue polka dots all over it. Abbey had tied it together with a fancy looking bow and it had 'To Fitzgerald' printed on the front.

'Wow, what's this for?' he asked with his eyebrows raised as he analyzed the box. Fitz lightly shook it and listened as he tried to guess what it could have been.

Olivia rolled her eyes. 'Don't do that. You might break something.'

'Sorry.' he murmured and laid it back down in his lap as he started to play with the ends of the ribbon. 'This must be important if you woke up to give it to me.'

'It's very important and I really need you to open it.' she said. Olivia grabbed her phone and turned on her camera so that she could record his exact facial expression when he finally got the news. She propped it up against a pillow so that her hands could be free and she could watch him.

Fitz curiously untied the intricate strings and then tossed them to the side and opened the box. There was plenty of blue and pink tissue paper inside but he didn't think much about the color scheme as he tried to reach the real contents. The first thing he saw was a plain white, ceramic mug. He raised his eyebrows and picked it up and inspected it.

He grinned widely when he looked inside and saw the word 'Daddy' had been etched in black letters at the bottom. Fitz turned to Olivia and licked his lips and moved his hand from her knee and up her thigh suggestively. 'You bought this for daddy?'

Olivia's eyebrows quirked for a moment as she saw that he had taken the gesture in a completely different direction than she had intended. It was only then that she realized that Fitz was a total pervert who couldn't take anything seriously. It wasn't all his fault, though. She had spent the past few months they had been together encouraging him to talk dirty and be rough and now here they were. _Basically_ , she had created a monster.

'Fitz get your mind out of the gutter.' she said before smacking his hand hard enough to make him wince and pull it away. It was actions like those that got them into this situation in the first place. Olivia made a mental note to edit this part of the video out if they were going to share it with any other family or friends.

'Ouch.' he grunted lowly and held onto his hand. He didn't understand what he had done wrong but he obviously had misread the situation. Fitz put the mug to the side and removed the rest of the tissue paper in the box until he found the next item. He pulled out a white onesie with the words 'Guess What, Daddy' embroidered on the front in big, black letters.

Fitz studied the item curiously for a few moments before it finally hit him. His eyes widened and his breath hitched in the back of his throat. He held the onesie tightly to his chest then looked back at Olivia. 'Are you serious? This isn't a joke?'

'Surprise.' she said with a soft smile before reaching her hand in the box herself. She pulled out the little monkey she had gotten showed it to him. 'Press down on his hand.'

Fitz pressed down on the monkey's hand and nearly broke down when he heard the stream of strong, loud thumps. 'Is this the baby's heartbeat?' he asked, his voice cracking.

'Yes.' she nodded and handed it off to him.

'Olivia is this for real? You're not joking?' he asked again before pressing down on the monkey's hand. He held it close to his ear while it played.

'I'm not joking at all, Fitz.' she laughed softly. 'I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby.'

'Seriously?' he asked one more time for good measure. At this point his heart would shatter into a billion pieces if she was just playing around. 'We're going to have a baby?'

'We're going to have a baby, Fitz. You're going to be a dad.' she smiled and leaned back so that her back would be against the headboard. 'There's one more thing in the box.'

Fitz could see his hand trembling as he continued to dig through his gift box, but he didn't care. This was literally the best news he had ever gotten and he didn't know how to contain himself. Apart of him felt like jumping up and down, but another part felt like just breaking down and crying. The third part wanted to text every number he had ever saved in his phone so that they could all hear the good news.

Olivia laughed as she watched but she couldn't blame him. She passed out when she found out the news so this was nothing compared to her own reaction. Fitz found the sonogram pictures that had taken and printed off for them and he studied them closely. Logic told him that she was only a few weeks along but he still wanted to see a whole 3D picture. At the top was Olivia's name but near the bottom it read ' _Baby Grant_ ' with a small arrow pointing to their little bean that was growing inside of her.

She couldn't exactly see his facial expression but when he got really quiet, she grew worried. Olivia reached forward and touched his arm to grab his attention. 'Fitz, what's wrong baby? You're getting quiet on me.'

When Fitz finally looked up his eyes were red and there were tears streaming down his cheeks. Olivia had never seen him cry about anything before so this was a shock. It wasn't exactly the reaction she thought he'd have but this was just as good. It seemed as if he was speechless and that was definitely a first.

'Are you okay?' she asked, giggling and rubbing her hand up and down his arm. Olivia hadn't cried the whole time but just seeing him like this made her a bit emotional. 'Don't cry, Fitz.'

'This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.' he sniffled and wiped his face with his freehand. 'We're going to have a baby.' Fitz repeated for what seemed like the 100th time in just 3 minutes.

'We're going to have a baby.' she smiled and held her arms out for him.

Fitz immediately put the box to the side and closed them gap in between them. He wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her tightly as his new reality began to set in. The initial shock was now starting to wear off and it was now turning into pure happiness and adrenaline. He turned his head and kissed her up and down her face and began mumbling something that Olivia had to assume was a string of ' _I love you_ 's.

'Are you okay, baby?' she asked tenderly, rubbing the back of his head.

'Am I okay?' he laughed and pulled away so that he could look her in the eyes. 'I'm more than okay. I feel great! Oh my gosh I'm going to be a dad.' Fitz ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring how wet his face was.

Olivia was about to say something but he immediately stood to his feet and began to pace the floor. She picked her phone up so the camera could get a better angle at his antics. It seemed like he was so excited he didn't know what to do with himself.

'Liv, we have to start looking at nursery colors. Is it a boy or a girl?' he asked, stopping his pacing long enough to look at her again. He knew it was way too early to see anything significant but all rational thought was thrown out of the window at this point.

She nearly burst out laughing. 'Fitz, I'm only 6 weeks along. We have a while until they can tell us.'

'What?' his face immediately fell but it didn't last long. 'How much longer? How are we going to plan for this? We need a crib, right? I can build the baby a crib. What if its twins?'

'It's definitely not twins.' she shook her head. 'The doctor already checked and there's only one heartbeat.'

'Is she kicking yet?' Fitz asked and dropped to his knees so that he could be level with her stomach. He held his ear to her flesh and tried to listen as best as he could. 'Did I miss anything? What did the doctor say?'

'Fitz!' she laughed and pushed his face away from her. Olivia found it even more comical that she was asking the baby the exact same questions just the night before. 'It's too early! We don't know if it's a girl!'

'Are we sure?' he asked and glanced up at her. Fitz worked to lift up her nightie to reveal her small pudge of a stomach. 'Liv, we're having a baby.'

Olivia laughed again, this time with tears nearly streaming down her own eyes. 'I know, Fitz. I know.'

'Are you okay? Do you need anything? Do your feet hurt?' he asked, concerned.

'I'm fine.' she said, wiping a tear from her eye. 'I'm just having a little heartburn and some morning sickness. Other than that, I feel great.'

'Oh, no.' he frowned and ran his hands across her belly. 'Should I go into town and get you some medicine? What did the doctor say you should take? What's the doctors name? Oh my gosh I don't even know the name of my baby's doctor.' Fitz rambled worriedly.

'Her name is Dr. Lori J Fulton, I've been seeing her for the past 5 years, and she gave me a prescription. I bought a bunch of stuff yesterday, but I was hiding it in the trunk of my car.' Olivia said as she pushed a few stray curls off of his forehead. She had never seen Fitz so excitable and she was almost afraid he'd faint as well if he didn't calm down.

'I can go get it.' Fitz kissed her stomach and then stood up and kissed her lips. He made a few strides over to his side of the bed so that he could put his tennis shoes on. 'We have to tell everybody. We need to call all the people we know and tell them the good news.'

Olivia glanced at the clock on the nightstand and shook her head. 'It's still very early in the morning. We can probably tell your parents this afternoon.'

'Oh my gosh, mom is going to die when she hears this.' he stood up and threw a shirt over his head. He hadn't even bothered to put on any pants and he looked absolutely ridiculous but he didn't care. 'I have to get Teddy up and tell him.'

'Don't wake up Teddy yet.' she laughed. 'It's 3 in the morning. Just give it some time to sink in.'

Fitz took a deep breath but nodded his head. 'You're right. I need to calm down and just enjoy this moment, right? It just feels so surreal.'

'Exactly.' Olivia nodded and reached on the nightstand to grab her keys and then tossed them at Fitz. It was really unnecessary to bring all that stuff in so early but she wouldn't stop him. She was sure he'd want to spend the next few hours digging through all the goodies she had gotten.

Fitz took one more breath before making his way out of the bedroom and doing a light jog down the stairs. Olivia stopped the camera and plugged her phone back into the charger while she waited on him to return. She didn't hear anything else until he opened up the front door and jumped down from the porch and started yelling as if somebody else could hear him.

'We're having a baby!' he screamed as his excitement built back up inside him. There were a few birds that were casually resting in the yard but they all flew away, startled by Fitz's booming voice.

Olivia chuckled and decided to go downstairs and check on him. She was sure he was being loud enough to wake up Teddy but she still tried her best to tiptoe past his bedroom so not to disturb him. She leaned in the doorway of the front door and watched as Fitz celebrated what seemed to be the best news he had ever received in his life. Even the dogs had all gathered up around him and were jumping up and down with excitement alongside him.

Teddy come out of his bedroom in only a pair of boxers a few moments later. He still was leaning on one his crutches and his eyes were burning from waking up so early. He usually got up to help with the afternoon chores while Fitz still took care of the ones in the morning. 'What's wrong with Tom? Why's he yelling?'

'I think he's just very happy, Teddy.' Olivia smirked and shook her head

* * *

By the night Olivia was sure that Fitz had worn himself out. He had barely had a thing to eat all day and he and Teddy didn't get any chores done at all. She had convinced him to wait to tell his parents until they got there at the end of the month. She had bought small gift boxes for them as well and she wanted to surprise them over dinner when they all arrived.

The last thing on her mind, though, was telling her parents. During her brief conversation with her father she hadn't even mentioned Fitz's name, she didn't really have time to, so it would probably be a huge shock to hear about a pregnancy. Olivia wondered if they paid much attention to gossip magazines or tabloids because they had reported months ago that she was with somebody.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind, though. This wouldn't be the first time they weren't very excited about some of the major things in her life and she was sure this wouldn't be the last. She could always rely on her friends and Fitz's family for support and love. Olivia wanted her parents and siblings involved but she had discovered a long time ago that she couldn't make them do anything that they didn't want to.

Fitz, though, seemed to be more excited that anybody else involved. They had always talked about getting married and having a family so she knew he'd be happy but she honestly wasn't expecting his reaction. Olivia was sure that it would wear off at some point but he had spent the entire day doting on her endlessly. It was amazing that underneath such a hard and rugged exterior was just a soft teddy bear.

He would have a lot to think about as well, though. Fitz still hadn't told Olivia that he was thinking about taking up a teaching position but it was looking more and more appealing. If he gave up the farm then he could go on tour with Olivia and be by her side and, after it was over, they could move wherever they pleased. Their child could go to the best schools and make friends and have a relatively normal life if they left Knights Ferry.

The thought of leaving behind all of his grandfather's property and hard work hurt, but, Fitz had other priorities now. He couldn't just think about himself anymore.

For now, though, he was sound asleep. He had successfully burnt himself out and he was now snoring and laying down on his stomach in the bed. His head was resting on Olivia's thigh while she sat up with her back against the headboard. She used one of her hands to absentmindedly run her fingers through the curls on his head and the other one scrolled up and down through blogs on her iPad. Her phone rang on the nightstand and she picked it up and held it to her ear.

'Hello?' she asked softly so not to wake Fitz.

'Hey, Liv.' Abbey said with a mouthful of grapes as she sat on her couch. She had also been reading over mommy blogs on her iPad while watching television. 'Did you tell him yet?'

'Yes, I told him.' she snorted.

'And?' her eyebrows raised as she waited on more details.

'He's so happy, Abbey. I've never seen him this happy before. He actually cried this morning.' Olivia said as she tugged lightly on one of his tresses.

'Seriously?' she grinned. 'Did you record it? We can play it on a video at the baby shower.'

'It's all on my phone. I'll send it to you in the morning.' she promised. 'Also, Fitz thinks the baby is a girl so—'

'What?' she sat up and laughed. 'He's delusional. I know for a fact that he's a boy.'

'You both are absolutely nuts.' she chuckled. 'Neither of you can know for sure yet.'

'But I do know for sure.' she groaned. 'I'm already looking at nursery colors for Abram. Also, what do you think about the name Abram Fitzgerald Grant? That sort of has a ring to it, doesn't it?' Abbey asked as she went to her list of baby names that she had jotted down. They all revolved around the name 'Abram' but she was trying to be creative.

'No.' she laughed and shook her head. 'And can we think of things other than Abram? I'd like to have some variety just _in case_ the baby is a boy.'

'The baby _is_ a boy.' she said with finality in her voice. 'But, fine, I'll come up with a few other names. I'd also like to place a friendly wager with Fitz. I'm not sure what the stakes are just yet but I know that I'm going to win.'

'And unfortunately I know for a fact that he's going to be immature enough to go along with it.' Olivia rolled her eyes. 'I'll be sure to tell him when he gets up. He's been absolutely on Cloud 9. He didn't even get any work done today.'

'Well, he just found out he's going to be a dad to a beautiful baby boy, Liv.' she said as she popped a few more grapes in her mouth. 'I can't say that I blame him.'

'I know, I know.' she mumbled and lightly tugged at Fitz's ear, watching him snuggle his face into the palm of her hand in his sleep. 'He was honestly adorable. I can already tell he's going to be a good dad.'

'Did you talk to him about the tour?' she asked, once again teetering the line between friend and manager as she pulled up the maps of places Cyrus had sent her earlier.

'I did.' she nodded and bit her lip. 'He actually seemed pretty happy for me. But, I talked to him about it before I told him about the baby so I'm not sure how he's going to feel about it now. I kind of don't want to just pick up and leave him here.'

'You could always push the book's release date back.' she suggested. 'If the book comes out a month after the baby is born then he won't miss any of the pregnancy. Abram can stay here in California and we can shorten the tour.'

Olivia had gotten so used to Abbey calling the baby Abram, she didn't even realize she had done it again. 'I might miss my little bean, though. I don't want him to be too far away. What if I pushed it back a year and took him on tour with me? We can go to children museums and take lots of pictures.'

'I don't think a baby is going to particularly enjoy sitting in bookstores in London and Prague, Liv. A year is a long time to delay release and I doubt he's going to want to fly all across the world.'

'You're right.' she sighed and held her forehead with her freehand, almost giggling as she watched Fitz's face scrunch up as if he was missing her hand. 'I just want to make this all fit together so perfectly.'

'Maybe we can skip the tour for this book then.' Abbey shrugged. 'We can do it when he's a little older, maybe 7 or 8, and he'll enjoy himself. We can find somebody to homeschool him while we enjoy the sights. I'm thinking Disneyland Paris for his birthday.'

'Abram might not even like Disneyland, Abbey.' Olivia chortled.

Abbey grinned widely. 'You just said Abram.'

'I did?' Olivia covered her mouth. 'Goodbye, Abbey. You're being ridiculous and his name isn't going to be Abram.'

'Whatever you say.' she laughed and hung up the phone.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Happy Scandal Thursday! This was just a happy little fluffy chapter that I kind of wanted to just get out of the way. Nothing too major or important for now :) Fitz is still playing with the idea of leaving the farm for good and Olivia has to make some decisions about her career as well. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!_**

 ** _I just wrote a one shot and it's posted on my account. It's called Coffee Shop and I suggest you check it out if you haven't already! I really enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it!_**

 ** _Until next time!_**


	22. Dinner and a Show

**NSFW**

* * *

One Month Later - Wednesday

Olivia sat with her knees pressed into the cold tiles of the bathroom floors with her head facing towards the porcelain toilet bowl. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to endure another 7 months of this before she got the urge to pull the baby out all by herself. Her nausea seemed like it was getting a bit better, but it was still hard to hold things down in the mornings. The medicine helped a bit, but she still wished that she could keep her meals in her stomach.

Fitz sat on the edge of the tub and held her hair back for her as she emptied her breakfast into the water. He sighed and gently rubbed her back as they patiently awaited for another round of contents to leave her body. He hated seeing her this way, but the doctor had already assured them both that this was completely normal and that she'd be fine.

He winced as Olivia's body clenched up and she threw up again. He looked away from her and held his nose, but continued to rub her back soothingly as she finished. Fitz had already put some toothpaste on her toothbrush for her so he handed it over as she flushed the toilet. He helped her sit up against the tub as she brushed her teeth while sitting on the floor, her toes digging into the furry mat below her. There was sweat dripping down her neck so he got up to find her a small towel.

Lots of things had changed for them over the past month. Olivia's nausea was ever present, and that meant that everybody around her had to try their best not to bring any strong smells around. She had always hated the way Fitz smelled once he finished his daily chores, but it was even worse now. One night he came in and the stench alone upset her stomach enough to make her throw up right on the bedroom floor. After that little incident, Fitz showered downstairs and then came up to bed.

The other problem she was having was how fast she seemed to be gaining weight. Olivia knew that her regular clothes wouldn't fit her forever, but she felt like she was stuffing herself into her outfits. Fitz saw the look on her of frustration on her face when she couldn't get her favorite Ralph Lauren dress to zip up, but he liked watching her grow. She was only 2 months along and most people couldn't even tell that she was pregnant, but he certainly could.

'You want to skip out today?' he asked tentatively as he ran cold water over the soft fabric in his hands. 'You can stay here and maybe watch a movie instead.'

'I wish I could go with you.' she shook her head as she spit into the toilet bowl. Olivia hummed appreciatively as Fitz dabbed her neck with the towel and shut her eyes. He sat on the edge of the tub once more. 'That feels so good.'

He smiled as he continued up the path to her face. In the past month or so it felt like he just couldn't do anything right to help Olivia. She threw up every morning, she had heartburn during the day, and at night she occasionally suffered from hot flashes, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. The fact that he was bringing her some type of small pleasure made him feel good.

'Want me to run you a cool bath?' he suggested softly although the thought made him shiver a bit.

'No.' she shook her head. 'Just, please don't stop doing this.' Olivia nearly pleaded as her eyes shut and she leaned her head against his knee.

'I'm going to have to leave in a little while.' he said quietly, pushing some stray hairs out of her face. 'But, I'll be right back. Hollis' flight is going to be here in a little while and I don't want to keep them waiting.'

She sighed but nodded her head. 'I should be feeling better by the time you get back. I can cook up something for lunch.'

'Don't worry about it, sweetheart.' he smiled softly. 'I'll pick us up something on the way home. How about some soup and garlic bread?'

'Okay.' Olivia nodded. She didn't think she could handle anything more than that anyway.

'Let's get you in bed.' he said, gently nudging her so that he could stand up.

After he helped to get Olivia settled in, Fitz went back to the bathroom to run her bath water just in case she wanted to use it later. Once he was sure she was okay, he went down the stairs to find Teddy who was already waiting on him in the living room. He had been sitting on the couch with the keys to the truck in his hands, but his head popped up when he heard his brother's footsteps.

'Can I drive today, Tom?' he smiled hopefully and held Fitz's keys up.

Fitz chuckled and shook his head. 'Not yet, Ted. We need to go and get you a license first.'

'Aw.' he groaned and tossed the keys over. 'I'm never going to get a chance to practice if you never let me drive.'

'I'm going to let you drive a little, but it needs to be around the farm first. It's safer and I know we won't get stopped by the police.' he said, ruffling Teddy's hair up a bit. 'Now, let's go. We have plenty to do today.'

Teddy sighed but got up from the couch and threw his boots on before following his Fitz out of the door. They had to drive to Sacramento today and pick Hollis and his family up from the airport. Since they'd be gone for a few days for Olivia's award ceremony, somebody needed to look over the ranch. Usually he would just pay Max to come over, but the fact that he had thrown a party in the house was still in the front of his mind. Not only that, he and Teddy never really reconciled after he punched him in the face.

Fitz and Hollis had been speaking regularly since running into each other in D.C. a few months ago. They had been discussing a future of him at a University instead of the farm, but he still hadn't even spoken to Olivia about it. Hollis had been itching to see some of the things that Fitz had been working on so this would be a great opportunity for him to scope things out.

Before the picked Hollis up, though, they had a few errands to run. They'd be stopping by the bank in town so that Teddy could open up his first bank account. Fitz had been giving him a few small paychecks here and there, and they were starting to accumulate. Money had never been an issue for him, but it felt good knowing that he had earned something.

After making sure that the gates to the ranch were locked up, Fitz and Teddy left and made their way out of town. A few months ago this ride would have been very long and awkward, but the brothers had been getting along pretty well in the past month or so. They had more things in common than they had originally thought so conversation came fairly easy.

Once they made it into town, Teddy was looking out of his window as if he had never seen a major city before. He had been cooped up on the ranch so long, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be around so many people and big buildings. In a way, Sacramento felt more like home than Knights Ferry did.

'Which one of these buildings do you think Liv stays in, Tom?' he asked, still staring out the window.

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. He had actually never seen Olivia's apartment so he had no idea. His main focus right then, though, was to navigate the streets in his large truck. The roads were a bit narrower than the ones back home and it was proving difficult to get around. Her insistence on driving her car to the premier now made so much more sense.

'I'm not sure, Ted.' he said dismissively as he tried not to hit a parked Mini Cooper.

'I hope it's this fancy looking one with the pool on the roof.' he said, pointing to it. He continued to ramble on, not even realizing that Fitz wasn't paying much attention to him.

After their stop by the bank, they headed towards the airport to pick up their guests. The bank teller had assisted Teddy in making an online account and downloading the app and he was completely enthralled by it. He had only met Hollis a couple of times, but he was much younger and didn't remember much about him other than his southern accent.

They waited almost a half hour before they saw they emerge from the baggage claim area. Fitz smiled brightly and stood up from his seat to hug his friend. 'Good to see you.'

'It's a pleasure being here, Fitzy.' he howled in excitement and patted his back.

Fitz pulled away to ensure that Hollis wouldn't strangle his neck in his tight embrace then turned to his wife, Rebecca, so that he could hug her as well. 'Becca, it's been so long.'

'I know.' she smiled. 'You should come around and visit more often.'

Her accent was just as strong as Hollis' although she would die if anybody were to ever tell her that. She had long brown hair that flowed down her back, and her face was very round. For their flight, Rebecca grabbed a pair of her husband's sweatpants and a t-shirt so that she could be comfortable. In her other arm she was holding their daughter who had just woken up from a nap.

Fitz's face lit up when LuAnn made eye contact with him. He was over the moon when he found out that he'd be bringing his daughter along as well even though he wouldn't be able to spend much time with her. He had always liked kids, but now that Olivia was pregnant he _loved_ being around them.

'And this must be Lulu.' he smiled and held his finger out to her and she hesitantly reached over to grab it. 'It's very nice to meet you ma'am. Thank God you don't look anything like your daddy.' Fitz teased.

Hollis grabbed Beca's bag and flung it over his shoulder. 'You're right about that. I'd hate for her to end up looking like me. Could you imagine a little girl with this handsome face?' he asked, running his hands over his cheeks.

'I can.' he nodded, shuddering at the thought. 'But I think the image is going to give me nightmares. It's bad enough just looking at you.' he said and they both laughed at the comment.

Teddy helped to grab their bags as they walked out to the truck. Rebecca had her hands full with the baby and Fitz held onto the car seat. He thought they were a bit overpacked for such a short trip, but he had to assume that most of it was Lulu's. He could only imagine what type of clothes and toys and special foods that she needed to be packed up.

He got in the driver's side, but watched carefully as Hollis and Rebecca installed the carseat and then snapped her in securely. Fitz made a mental note to watch a few tutorials on the subject with Olivia once he made it home. He knew it was probably a bit too early to be thinking about these types of things, but he wanted to be prepared.

The ride back to Knights Ferry was long and loud, but everybody seemed to having a good time and getting along well. LuAnn slept for the first 15 minutes, but was hyper once her nap was over. She was sitting in between her parents in her carseat, kicking her legs and laughing loudly when she thought something was funny. She may not have looked like Hollis, but she sure did act like him.

Fitz made a quick stop in one of the towns they'd be passing through so that he could get dinner for everyone. He hoped that Olivia hadn't gotten too hungry waiting on him to return, but he got some extra just in case she wanted some.

Once they made it into town, Fitz showed them around a bit. It wasn't much to see, but he was sure to point out where the sheriff's office and the bar was. He hadn't told Hollis about their issues with Mellie and Jake, but he didn't plan to either. They hadn't been causing them any problems lately so they were pretty irrelevant to him.

When they pulled up to the gates, Fitz pressed the button on his remote so that they would open. They were met by a few of the dogs who ran alongside the truck, excited to see that Fitz had finally returned.

'Doggies!' LuAnn screamed at the top of her lungs and bounced up and down so that she could see out of the window.

'This place is beautiful, Fitz.' Rebecca commented as she eyed the property. She reached over and undid Lulu's seatbelt so that she could sit in her lap and look out the window. 'It reminds me of our old place out in Kentucky.'

'Thank you.' he smiled and glanced at her through his rear view mirror. 'You all are free to explore what you want. What's mine is yours.'

'That's good to know because I'd sure like to explore that.' Hollis commented as he gestured to Olivia's car that was parked in front of the house. He whistled lowly as Fitz pulled up beside it. 'That's a beautiful machine.'

'Now, _that_ isn't mine.' Fitz chuckled and pressed his foot down on the breaks and put the car into park. 'That's Olivia's car.'

'She was wonderful taste.' he commented before opening the door to the truck.

'Of course she does. She chose me, didn't she?' he snorted.

'I'd consider that a lapse in judgement.' Hollis bit back playfully, but Fitz only laughed.

Olivia had been inside watching a movie with Percy when she heard Fitz's truck pull up. After her little incident that morning, she hadn't thrown up at all. She was actually feeling a lot better than she was after breakfast. After taking a long bath, she changed into some comfortable leggings and one of Fitz's t-shirts.

She had already told Abby to start checking out a few maternity shops in the area. While most of her clothes still fit, they were just a bit snug, she knew that it wouldn't be that way for long. Olivia realized that she wouldn't have much variety in clothing while they were in Knights Ferry, and she wanted to be well prepared. There was only one other pregnant woman in town and she had just been wearing her husband's clothes for the past few months and she didn't want that.

Teddy was the first to come in with one of Hollis' bags on his shoulders. He dropped it at the door then immediately went over to where Olivia was sitting. He pulled his new debit card out of his wallet and showed it off to her. 'Look what I got at the bank today. This one is just temporary, but they're going to send me one with my name on it.' he grinned widely.

Olivia worked to hold back a small giggle as Teddy handed off his temporary blue card. It was kind of cute watching him grow and discover mundane pieces of adulthood. She and Fitz both knew that if he had stayed in DC, he'd still be locked away in his bedroom playing video games all day. He had matured a lot in the last two months.

'This is wonderful, Teddy.' she said, pretending to be amazed. 'I hope you kept some of your cash as well. Most places around here don't take debit.'

'I did.' he nodded as he carefully pushed his card back down into the leather slot in his wallet. 'When we all go back to Sacramento then I'm going to get all of us some lunch. I can put it on my debit card.' he declared proudly.

'I'll be sure to get extra everything.' she laughed and patted his knee.

Before Teddy could respond, the front door swung open and Fitz came through inside carrying the rest of the bags in his arms. Hollis was right behind him with the baby bag and car seat in his hands. He smiled when he saw Olivia sitting down on the couch.

'Well, I'll be doggoned! Olivia you still haven't left Fitz yet?' he laughed as he put the things in his hands down and walked over to the couch to greet her.

Olivia smirked and stood up from her seat, hugging Hollis' neck. 'He's been holding me hostage here, Hollis. I can't get away.'

'Hey!' Fitz huffed and swatted Hollis off of her, wrapping his arm around her waist instead. 'Hollis, you've only been here for a few minutes. Please don't corrupt my girlfriend.'

Rebecca and LuAnn came through the door a few moments later. She had been absolutely thrilled to see so many dogs outside running around, so Becca let her stay outside for a while longer so that she could run around and stretch her legs out a bit. They had been mostly sitting down all day so she knew she needed a way to burn off some steam. Her little feet stomped on the hardwood of the floors until she reached where her daddy was standing.

'It's very nice to finally meet you in person, Olivia.' Rebecca smiled and reached out for a hug. 'Fitz has told us so much about you.'

'All good things I hope.' she giggled a bit nervously, although she knew Fitz wouldn't go around saying bad things about her.

'Terrible, terrible things.' Hollis teased as he picked his daughter up from the floor. He held her out in Olivia's reach. 'And this is LuAnn, but we call her Lulu.'

'Well, hi Lulu.' Olivia smiled and reached out for her. She was a bit surprised when LuAnn held out her arms as well.

'She's a friendly little thing.' Rebecca commented as Hollis handed her over to Olivia.

'Teddy, why don't you show Hollis and Becca where they'll be sleeping?' Fitz suggested, gesturing towards the stairs. 'You guys can just leave Lulu's carseat down here. I'll move it over to my office area.'

Teddy nodded and stood up from the couch. He and Hollis managed to get all of their bags together so that they could get them upstairs without having to take a second trip. Lulu seemed to be a bit curious about where her parents were going, but she was pretty content in Olivia's arms so she didn't cry or wail. They sat down on the couch and Fitz wrapped his arm around Liv's shoulders.

Percy had been quietly sitting on the couch watching everybody interact with one another. He didn't like the fact that there were so many people around him at once, but he stayed still since Olivia was there and he knew she'd protect him. Once she sat down, he warily walked over to where she was and sniffed Lulu's foot.

Fitz frowned. He didn't trust Percy as far as he could throw him. 'We're going to have to keep him in the kennel while they're here. I don't want him doing anything to LuAnn.'

'Percy wouldn't hurt a fly.' Olivia said, swooning over their interaction.

'Doggy!' Lulu squealed as she rested her foot on top of Percy's head. Fitz thought for sure that he'd try to bite her or attack, but instead he licked at her ankles.

'See? I told you.' she smiled as she helped Lulu out of her shoes and put them on the floor beside the couch.

'Well, maybe if he wasn't so mean to me, I'd have more confidence in him.' he said somewhat defensively.

Percy hopped down to the floor and LuAnn slid down from Olivia's lap to follow after him. It seemed like the two of them were becoming fast friends and Fitz could only roll his eyes.

* * *

That night, the 6 of them all gathered around on the back porch after dinner. Fitz had built a small fire pit just for an occasion like this and now he was glad that they had it. The only light provided was by the stars in the sky and the flickering flame. Lulu was very intrigued by the fire, but she was way too enthralled by the silly faces Teddy was making to attempt to touch it.

While Hollis and Fitz were busying themselves talking about some of his most recent research, Olivia and Rebecca were getting to know each other a bit better. It wasn't particularly cold outside that night, but the wind was blowing pretty heavily so they had grabbed a blanket from inside and were sharing it.

'So, how are you liking it out here in Knights Ferry?' Becca asked as she took a sip from her wine glass. 'It has to be a lot different than the big city.'

'It's alright.' she shrugged. 'It's definitely not what I'm used to, but I think I've adjusted fairly well. Fitz tells me that Hollis is doing some research in Kentucky. How's that?'

'Oh, he doesn't do that anymore.' Becca shook her head. 'It was alright, though. Hollis owned 200 acres of land in Morgantown and he had us a nice little cozy house built.'

'What made him stop?' her eyebrows furrowed.

Her rolled her eyes but she chuckled. 'The poor thing couldn't handle it anymore after we had Lulu. He was always complaining about how he never had enough time to spend with her. That little girl has her daddy wrapped around her finger.'

Olivia couldn't help but smiled when she heard that. She wondered how Fitz would be when their baby finally got there and how he would spoil them. 'So you don't miss farm life?'

'Hell no.' she said soft enough to make sure that the baby hadn't heard her. The last thing she needed was for LuAnn to start repeating curse words. 'You never realize how much you miss simple things like going to a spa or just getting a coffee from Starbucks until you can't anymore.'

'Agreed.' Olivia sighed and nodded her head. 'It's nice to be out here where it's peaceful and quiet, but somedays I just want to go to the mall or get my hair done.'

'Exactly.' she agreed. 'And leaving also meant that Lulu will have a better chance at a future. We have her in toddler swim classes and gymnastics. She'd never get opportunities like those while we were staying on the farm.'

Her eyebrows furrowed. She had never even considered anything like that so this just added more for her to think about. Olivia was almost positive that Knights Ferry wouldn't be able to provide anything enriching for the baby other than playing in the dirt. 'That's actually a very good point.'

'We were both pretty young and inexperienced when we started off.' Becca cocked her head to the side. 'When Hollis graduated with his PhD, people were basically handing him land to farm on to do his research. At the time the only important thing was money. We weren't even thinking about school districts or pediatricians.'

Olivia nodded. 'That's understandable.'

'So,' she shot Olivia a coy smile. 'when are you two going to get started?'

Olivia laughed. She thought about lying to Rebecca or coming up with a way to deflect the question, but she decided against it. If Fitz trusted them enough to invite them to stay at their home, then she could trust her enough not to go telling people in the press about the baby.

'Well, it's funny that you mention it.' she said, rubbing her hands across her growing belly.

Rebecca's face lit up, but she wasn't surprised. It was obvious by the way Fitz spoke about Olivia that he absolutely loved and adored her. You would almost think that she hung the stars and moon in his world. She was actually _more_ surprised that he hadn't gotten her pregnant sooner.

'Seriously?' she grinned. 'Congratulations. How far along are you?'

'Only a little over 2 months.' Olivia answered, still rubbing her stomach. 'Fitz is so excited. He cried when I told him.'

'Oh, I wish I had been there to see that.' she smirked. 'Have you guys started thinking of names?'

'Not yet.' Olivia shook her head. 'I told him that we needed to wait until we find out the baby's gender before we start looking. Fitz swears that he know's its a girl.'

'As soon as the ultrasound showed us it was a girl, Hollis came up with the name LuAnn. He spoils that little girl to death. He'd go the ends of the earth just to see her smile.' Becca chortled. 'Have you guys thought about leaving Knights Ferry?'

'We haven't talked about it, but we probably need to.' she sighed. 'Fitz has been here on his family's farm for so long, though. I'd hate to tear him away from it. This is his dream.'

'Well, you guys have something else to be thinking of now.' she reminded with a soft smile. 'Being a family means sacrificing some things that you like because it'll be better for everyone. The decisions will become easier as the time gets closer.' Becca assured.

Before Olivia could respond, she heard Fitz stand up from his seat. He stood up and stretched his muscles and yawned, taking the cool night air into his lungs. 'I hate to cut this short, but I should probably be getting to bed. We have a very big day ahead of us.'

Hollis playfully rolled his eyes. 'This is just classic Fitzgerald Grant. Olivia, did you know that your boyfriend used to go to bed at 8pm sharp before he met me?'

'Really?' her brows quirked in disbelief.

'And I got in a lot less trouble before I met him, too.' he chuckled and shook his head. 'Are you ready to get some sleep?'

Olivia glanced down at her watch. It wasn't terribly late, just a little after 9, but they'd be busy tomorrow so it was probably best that she get some rest. She unwrapped herself from the blanket she was sharing with Rebecca and then stood to her feet.

'Goodnight, everybody.' she said, taking Fitz's hand.

'Teddy, don't forget we're leaving early in the morning.' Fitz reminded as he watched him bounce Lulu up and down on his knee. 'Try and get some rest.'

'I gotcha, Tom.' he held his thumb up but then turned his attention right back to LuAnn. Apart of him wished he had a baby of his own, but that seemed out of the question for now. He couldn't even get a girl to call him back, let alone have sex with him. He would just have to spend his time spoiling his niece or nephew.

* * *

'Did you get my itinerary?' Abby asked as she wheeled her cart around Target. She had her phone balanced in between her shoulder and ear so that she could so her shopping with both of her hands.

It was almost 5am, but her job didn't stop just because the sun wasn't completely up. She wanted to make sure that Olivia and Fitz's parents both enjoyed their stay at their hotels and she was gathering snacks and baskets to put together. Olivia had told her not to worry herself to death, but she couldn't help it.

'I got it like 2 days ago.' Olivia said, trying to assure her friend. 'I think we can handle it, Abby. Nothing is going to go wrong.'

'That's exactly what people say before things start going wrong.' she quipped before tossing some of Olivia's favorite chips in her cart as well. She wanted her fridge and cabinets were stocked with food since they'd be staying in Sacramento for a few days.

The night of the awards show was approaching fast and it seemed like Abby was the only person who was on pins and needles. As Olivia's manager it was her job to make sure that everything went absolutely perfectly, although that was never an easy task. It almost seemed like she was too busy to even breathe during this time.

'Are Fitz's siblings coming to dinner tonight? I reserved the back room at the restaurant, but I still need to know how many people are coming.' Abby said before pulling a sticky note out of her purse so that she could make note of what Olivia would say.

'No.' Olivia shook her head. 'If we invite Tiffany and Teddy, then I'll have to try and get all of my siblings there and that's just too much.'

'Also, it's been a month.' Abby reminded. 'Do you think you need to see Dr. Fulton again? Have any questions you need to ask her?'

'I don't think so.' Olivia shook her head. 'I've been taking my vitamins, and I'm pretty sure that the morning sickness is almost completely gone.'

'Really?' her eyebrows quirked.

'No.' she sighed. 'But, it's definitely not as bad as before. I actually haven't thrown up at all this morning.' Olivia proudly declared.

'Sounds like you're doing better.' she said although she still made a mental note to call Dr. Fulton and see if they could squeeze in a home visit while Olivia was in town. She was sure that if she offered her enough money that she'd find the time the swing by.

Fitz rarely got the chance to drive Olivia's car, he preferred his truck, but he settled today for the trip. He hadn't really been listening to their conversation until he heard her mention her morning sickness. 'Is that Abby?'

'Yep.' Olivia nodded. 'We're just going over some last minute details about the trip.'

Abby could hear Fitz talking in the background and decided to interject. 'Tell Fitz that I found really cute matching shirts for him and Abram.'

Olivia's eyes immediately rolled. Fitz and Abby had been going back and fourth about what the sex of the baby was going to be, and she found it absolutely ridiculous. It was way too early to tell so all of this was just speculation, anyway. She entertained them, though. She liked the fact that they seemed to be getting along pretty well before even meeting each other. It was important to her that her best friend and boyfriend got along.

'I'm not doing this with you guys today.' she refused. 'When you see him today then you both can argue for as long as you want.'

'She's a girl, Abby!' Fitz called out loud enough for her to hear through the speaker.

'Would it be insensitive to wager on this?' Abby asked as she opened up a freezer door to grab some ice-cream and put it in her cart.

'You guys aren't placing bets on the baby.' Olivia shook her head. 'Goodbye, Abby. I'll see you in a couple of hours.'

'Bye.' she smiled brightly. 'Tell Abram I love him.'

Olivia snorted and hung up the phone up and laid it in the cupholder between them. She reached out and opened the vents up a bit more and sighed contently when the cool air increased.

'Hot flashes?' Fitz asked with a frown and furrowed eyebrows, although he already knew the answer.

'Ya.' Olivia sighed and nodded. 'I feel like they've been getting worse lately. I think my entire body is on fire.' she complained.

'Well, your body may not be on fire, but you are hot as hell.' he grinned widely, hoping to make her laugh.

She chuckled and reached out to smack his shoulder. 'You're so corny.'

Fitz sat up from his seat and turn the fans up on the highest setting. 'Better?' he asked with a sweet smile.

'Ya.' Olivia nodded as she sat back in her seat. ''Are you going to be too cold?'

'I'll be fine, and Teddy is back there sleeping like a log so I'm sure he won't notice.' Fitz assured. 'I just want you to be comfortable. I'll put my jacket on or something.'

Olivia's lips curled up into a grin as she watched him reach to the back seat to grab his jacket. At first she thought that the pregnancy was just making her act like a brat, but Fitz seemed to be happy to indulge all of her little ticks and habits so far. Once they stopped at a light he quickly pushed his arms through the sleeves and put his seatbelt back on.

By the time they made it to Sacramento, Teddy and Olivia had both woken up. It was only around 8am, but the city was still alive and busy with people on their morning commute. Fitz hadn't had to drive like this in so much traffic in years, but he tried his best to stay patient. If they did decide to leave Knights Ferry and move to a bigger town, he definitely wouldn't be looking forward to this.

Olivia dug her parking pass out of the glove compartment of her purse and handed it over to Fitz so that he could swipe it. There was a garage under her building that was only accessible to tenants so it wasn't very hard to get in. She paid monthly for a parking spot near the door and next to Abby's, so she directed him towards it.

While Fitz and Teddy had both brought a bag with them, Olivia knew she had left enough stuff here for her to put on and wear. Her weekend was booked solid with doing things for the awards show, so she'd have the luxury of using other people's makeup and hair products for a little while. The pampering was definitely something she missed about being home.

The three of them rode the elevator up to the top floor where Abby and Olivia's apartments were. There were only three people that lived on that floor, but her door was all the way on the end. Olivia used her key to unlock the door and push it open so that they could all come in. Fitz was always curious about how her apartment looked on the inside, they had never really spoken about it before, but as soon as he laid eyes on it he knew it was perfect for her.

Olivia had pictures strewn about the living room, similar to the way she had them at her cottage in Knights Ferry, and the carpets were thick and flush enough to almost swallow his shoes whole. It was extremely clean inside, but he had to assume it was because nobody had been living there for months. The walls were a deep purple color and there was a modern looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a balcony that connected to the living room that Teddy had already checking out.

'Come check out this view, Tom!' Teddy yelled through the glass door as he recklessly hung over the side of the bars.

Fitz's nostrils flared up and he made a few rushed strides towards the balcony. He grabbed Teddy by the back of his shirt and pulled him back up again. 'Could you not kill yourself today?'

'Sorry.' he murmured. 'But, if I fell I'd probably dive straight into that pool down there.' Teddy said, pointing down to it.

He sucked his teeth and shook his head. 'Just be careful.' he warned as he made his way back into the living room.

Teddy followed right behind him and shut the door to the outside. He curiously looked around at all the photos Olivia had spread out everywhere. Abby had a huge fruit basket delivered and it was sitting on the coffee table so he grabbed an apple out of it. They had avoided eating anything on the road just in case the smell set Olivia's nose off and made her sick. He picked up a picture of Olivia and Abby hugging each other in kindergarten and eyed it curiously.

'Who are these kids, Liv?' he asked, holding it up so that she could see.

Olivia had been going through a stack of mail that was sitting on her counter when she glanced up. 'Well, you know one of those people in that picture pretty well.'

Fitz glanced over Teddy's shoulder and raised his eyebrows. 'Is this you and Abby?'

'It is.' she nodded. 'The very first day of kindergarten. Abby threw a rock at my sister's head and then we ate lunch together. The rest is history.'

'You were actually a pretty cute kid, Liv.' Teddy commented as he put the picture on the table once more.

She snorted. 'You seem surprised.'

'I guess I just never thought about it before.' he shrugged.

Fitz picked the picture back up and looked over all of Olivia's little face. He had never seen pictures of her this young so this was kind of exciting for him. He wondered how many of these features their baby would get. Honestly, if they looked just liked Olivia then he'd be extremely satisfied.

There was a knock at the door that caught Teddy and Fitz's attention, but Olivia already knew who it was. Instead of moving to answer whoever was on the other side, they heard the lock turning. Abby pushed the door open and grinned widely. 'Olivia!' she called out.

'Abby!' Olivia smiled and walked around the kitchen counter and into the living room to greet her friend.

Teddy got one good look at Abby his lips turned up into a goofy smile. She was already dressed for their busy day so she had on a lavender colored dress that stopped right above her knees and some black pumps. Her hair was pushed up into an intricate updo, and she was wearing just a tad bit of makeup. He could see that Olivia was about to introduce her to Fitz, but he quickly moved in front of his brother, pushing his extended hand out of the way.

Fitz was just about to shake Abby's hand when Teddy made his presence known. He raised his eyebrows at his behavior, but didn't think much of it at first. He had been very eager about this trip so Fitz assumed that he was just acting out on his excitement.

Teddy cleared his throat a bit and put some bass in his voice before reaching out to shake her hand. 'Good morning. My name is Theodore.' he said, although his voice cracked a bit at the end.

Abby's eyebrows raised, but she decided to entertain his obvious attempt at flirting. She shook his hand, noting the way he was a bit reluctant to let go. 'You must be Fitz's brother. My name is Abby. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Grant.'

'Abby? Is that short for Abigail? What a beautiful name.' he complimented and shoved his now sweaty palms into his pockets. 'And, please, Mr. Grant is my father. You can just call me Teddy.'

Olivia snickered at their interaction, but she tried her best to hold it in. She didn't want to embarrass Teddy in front of Abby, but the scene before her was pretty comical. The girls his age back in Knights Ferry were fighting each other over him, so it was pretty funny to watch him fumble around and mess up his words when talking to her best friend. 'And, this is Fitz.'

'It's nice to finally put a face to a name.' Fitz said as he lightly pushed his brother out of the way. 'Olivia has told me so much about you.'

'Likewise, Fitzgerald.' she said, although she already knew exactly what Fitz looked like. Abby had run a fairly extensive background check on Fitz when he and Olivia first started dating so she knew pretty much everything about him.

'Abby and I are going to my dress fitting, but we can meet you guys for lunch.' Olivia said went to grab her wallet and phone from the coffee table. Abby already had her bag of essentials on her shoulder, so she knew she wouldn't need much.

'That sounds fine.' Fitz nodded and yawned. 'That gives me enough time to get a nap in.'

'There's a Chipotle about a block away, so we can meet you guys there.' Abby said, glancing down at her watch. 'You both have a tuxedo fitting around 1:30, so we'll go there straight away.'

'I can pay for lunch today.' Teddy noted in an attempt to impress Abby. 'Don't worry about that. It'll be on me.'

Abby simply chuckled and shook her head. 'That'll be great, Teddy. We should probably get going. There's lots to be done today.'

Fitz grabbed hold of Olivia's hand and pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. They had already decided against her having the security detail during the trip, but he was still a bit worried. 'Be careful out there, okay?'

'I promise.' she smiled nodded her head.

'Don't worry about it, Fitz.' Abby said as she headed towards the door. 'I'm going to keep Olivia and Abram safe.'

Fitz opened up his mouth to object, but Olivia put her hand in his face to make him stop. 'Don't start you two. Let's go, Abby.' she said as she began pushing her friend out of the front door.

'She was pretty cute, huh Tom?' Teddy asked dreamily before flopping down on the couch.

'You've been here for less than an hour and you're already hitting on older women.' Fitz sat beside him and sucked his teeth.

'How old do you think she is?' Teddy wondered out loud.

'She and Liv have been friends since kindergarten.' Fitz said, gesturing to the photo of them on the coffee table. 'Olivia is 26, so she's probably 26.' he shrugged.

'Age ain't nothing but a number.' he grinned widely.

'You're 19, Ted.' his eyes rolled.

'Hey, I'm almost 20.' he huffed, furrowing his eyebrows. 'That's only a 7 year difference. It's the exact same as you and Olivia'

'I think that's a bit different.' he snorted. 'You'll have plenty of time to go after women your own age. I just don't want you getting your feelings hurt if Abby doesn't feel the same way towards you.'

'Don't worry about that, Tom.' he said dismissively. 'I've got her right where I want her.'

Fitz shook his head, but applauded his confidence. Once his brother really put his mind to something, he rarely ever gave it up. He didn't want Teddy pestering Abby all weekend, though, so he'd try his best to keep an eye out for him.

* * *

By the time Olivia made it back to her apartment later on that evening, she was pretty tired. She had a couple of small interviews to do after Fitz and Teddy were fitted for their tuxedos and she was just finishing up with them. They needed to leave soon so that they could made it to the Cheesecake Factory on time for dinner with their parents. Olivia didn't want the four of them alone waiting. Big Gerry and Angela were fine, it was her parents that she was worried about.

It didn't take much convincing for the manager to give them access to the private dining room in the back of the restaurant. Before they even offered the money, all Abby had to do was say Olivia's name and things began to fall into place. They wanted to have something a bit more private and away from the other patrons. The last thing they wanted was somebody listening in on their conversation and spreading the news around.

Olivia had always been very interactive with her fans before this brief year long hiatus. They had been apart of her journey to success since the very beginning and she liked doing nice things that made them happy. A pregnancy announcement would send everybody absolutely over the moon and she wanted it to be special.

As soon as she walked in the front door, Olivia kicked her heels off and pushed them to the side. Fitz had been sitting on the couch and and flipping through stations when she walked in. His face lit up at the sight of her, and he almost laughed at himself. Even after all this time, his whole body reacted when she walked into the same room as him. He actually hoped that that feeling never went away.

'Hey, babe.' she huffed as she dropped her wallet on the table next to the door. 'Where's Teddy?'

'He went with the driver to pick up my parents. Tiffany wanted to come here and see you, but I told her that you'd probably be too exhausted and that we'd see her after dinner.' he explained as he changed the channel to her favorite station. She had a fascination with home improvement shows that he found odd, but charming.

'You told Teddy to tell Tiffany not to announce the pregnancy, right?' she asked as she walked over to where he was sitting. Olivia sat down on the couch next to him and laid her feet in his lap. During her last interview she had to change clothes and get her makeup done so her sweatpants and shirt were still in Abby's bag.

'Actually, I told him not to tell Tiffany at all.' Fitz said as he put the remote down and picked one of her feet up instead. He slowly worked his thumbs up and down the arches of her feet. 'We can tell her tonight. I don't want her getting too excited and putting in on her blog.'

Olivia closed her eyes and rested her back against the couch while she enjoyed her massage. 'I trust her, Fitz. I think that if we tell her not to say anything then she'll keep her mouth shut.'

'Well, just as a precaution I told her to leave her laptop and stuff here. Just in case Teddy lets it slip, she won't have a way to say anything.' he smiled victoriously.

'Did you take her phone?'

'No.' his brows furrowed. 'Why would I do that?'

Olivia chuckled. 'Sweetheart, she doesn't need her computer to blog. She can do it from anywhere with her phone. You're such an old man.'

'Hey!' he huffed. 'Don't call me an old man. It's hard to keep up with all this stuff.'

She opened her eyes and smiled before leaning in to kiss his cheek. 'You're right. You're a very cute old man if that makes you feel any better.'

'It doesn't.' he shook his head. 'But, maybe another kiss will.' Fitz puckered his lips.

Olivia smiled and leaned in to kiss him. They shared a few small pecks before there was a knock on the door. She sighed and pulled away from him, but kept her feet in his lap. 'Come in, Abby!' she called out.

Abby opened the door slowly and kept her eyes covered with her hands. 'Is it safe to look?'

Fitz laughed at her dramatics. 'We're both very dressed.'

'Great!' she smiled and dropped her hands to her sides. 'The driver will be here in about an hour to pick you two lovebirds up. I've already dropped the gifts to your parents off at the restaurant, and Olivia I have an Michael Kors dress hanging up in your closet that I think you might like. It's one size larger than usual, so you _should_ fit it perfectly.'

'Wow.' Fitz murmured. 'I think I need an assistant now.'

Olivia laughed. 'Abby spoils me. You won't be able to find anybody as good as her.'

'And I can't think of anybody who would want to follow you out to milk cows in a barn.' her nose crinkled.

'Fair enough.' he chortled.

'Soooo, Abby.' Olivia grinned deviously at her. 'What'd you think of Teddy?'

Abby's eyes rolled but she could only giggle. Teddy had spent all of their time together at lunch and at the tuxedo shop trying his best to impress her. It didn't exactly work, but she found him adorable. 'I think this is my cue to leave. I will meet you guys down stairs before the car arrives.' she said, deflecting from the question.

'We could always take a shower together.' Fitz suggested as Abby shut the door and let herself out.

Olivia felt her womanhood clench up at the sound of showering. The last time they shared a shower was when they were in DC and Fitz kept her pinned against the tiles on the wall. She could easily put that in the top 5 times that they made love, and her body was sore for days. He had a lot of built up frustration and he took it all out on her in the most delicious of ways.

She shook her head of that thought. They didn't have enough time for that tonight if they planned on making it to the restaurant on time. 'Nice try, Fitz. We have way too much to do tonight.'

'Aw.' he poked his bottom lip out pitifully and leaned in closer to her. 'Please? I won't try anything.'

'You're such a liar.' she laughed and pushed his face away. ' _Later_.'

Fitz sighed. 'Fine. I guess I'll just go shower alone.'

'Wait!' she interjected. Olivia held her other foot up that he hadn't started on.

' _Later_.' he grinned, throwing her words back at her. Fitz grabbed both of her ankles and pushed her legs down so that he could stand up.

It didn't take Fitz long to get ready. By the time he showered and threw on a pair of khaki pants and a button down shirt, he was ready to go. Olivia used the bathroom in the master bedroom, while he used the one for the guests. They had some time left before they needed to head downstairs so he decided to go in and 'check' on her. The truth was that he wanted to watch her get dressed and walk around in nothing but lingerie, but he'd try and keep that fact to himself. They both knew the truth, though.

When he opened the door, he found Olivia in a strapless, plunging bra and a matching black pair of panties. She standing in front of her full body mirror and fluffing the curls in her hair out a bit. Even though she tried her best not to let her parents dictate her actions, she still found herself subconsciously giving in. Her mom preferred when her hair had big curls in it, so that's how she styled it.

'You look stunning.' he commented as came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Olivia smirked. 'I'm not even wearing my dress yet. I'm still in my underwear.'

'I think I prefer when you're wearing nothing at all.' he murmured against her skin.

'You're being ridiculous.' she laughed and tried to push him away from her.

Fitz kept one arm wrapped firmly around her body while the other explored elsewhere. His hands traveled down her body and caressed her thighs. 'I'm being serious.'

'You're going to get yourself very hot and bothered if you don't slow down.' Olivia warned.

He pressed his manhood into her behind so that she could feel he was already getting hard. Fitz couldn't help himself, though. 'It's too late.'

'Mmmm.' she hummed as he started laying open mouthed kisses behind her ear. He knew that was her weak spot and he regularly enjoyed exploiting it. 'We need to stop.'

'I don't want to stop.' he shook his head. The hand that was on her thighs traveled in between her legs. Olivia's hips immediately fell apart for him as she watched him in the mirror. They had never done anything like this before, but she found it oddly sexy and erotic to see what he was doing to her body.

His fingers found the crotch of her panties and he pushed the fabric to the side. Fitz used two of his fingers to split her lower lips and chuckled when he saw that she was already getting wet. 'I don't think you want to stop, either.'

'We _need_ to stop.' Olivia tried to insist through baited breath. She leaned back so that she could rest her weight against his chest.

'We'll be quick.' he assured. Fitz held her tightly to his body and whispered in her ear, his breath somewhat ragged. 'I need you, Livvie.'

Olivia had to fight the urge to turn around and jump him right there. Fitz usually took control when they were intimate, and he was never afraid to let her know when and how he wanted her. She turned around and bit down on her bottom lip as she prepared to say something very difficult.

'You have to wait for me downstairs.' she said, taking a step away from him.

'What?' his eyebrows furrowed. 'Why?'

'Because you're a terrible, terrible distraction. You're making me have all these dirty thoughts and I need to be focused.' she explained.

'Dirty thoughts?' his face lit up, ignoring everything else she had said. 'I'd like to hear more about those.'

'Fitz, I'm serious.' she laughed. 'You can not behave yourself. You need to go downstairs and wait with Abby. I only need about 5 more minutes, then I'll be ready.'

'Fine.' Fitz relented with a groan. He walked over the nightstand to grab his phone and wallet.

'Thank you.' she smiled victoriously and went back to looking at herself in the mirror. On Fitz's way out he pinched her bottom and she yelped. Olivia huffed and rubbed the spot to try and soothe the sting away. She would definitely make him pay for that later on.

When Fitz made it downstairs to the lobby, Abby was already there and on the phone with somebody. She looked a bit upset about something and was pacing back and forth with a notebook in one hand and her phone in the other. She wouldn't be going to dinner with them tonight, but she still had plenty of work to do.

'I don't care how long it takes.' she hissed. 'I made this order 3 weeks ago and if these flowers aren't on the table by tomorrow night then I'm having somebody's job. Am I clear? Great.' she hung the phone up and put in her bag on her shoulder.

'Wow.' Fitz smirked, approaching her somewhat cautiously. He knew Abby would be a bit cutthroat, though. This was the same woman who threatened Mayor Holland with castration if Olivia's wifi wasn't in working order when she arrived in town. 'You deserve a raise.'

Abby blushed. She had been in her own little world and hadn't even seen Fitz get off the elevator. 'Mind writing a letter of recommendation to my boss?' she joked.

'I'll see what I can do.' he chuckled as they headed out the front door and towards the sidewalk. The car still hadn't arrived so they decided to sit on one of the concrete benches. It was pretty warm out that evening so there were plenty of people on the sidewalks enjoying the weather. The traffic from earlier that day had died down a bit, and he was thankful for that.

'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure.' she nodded.

'What are Olivia's parents like?' Fitz asked curiously. 'Olivia has told me very little about them and it's kind of hard to get her to open up about this kind of stuff. I just want to know what I'm getting myself into tonight.'

Abby bit her lip, going quiet for a few moments as she tried to figure out what to say next. Personally, she couldn't stand Eli or Maya, but she didn't want to tell him that. She wasn't sure what all Olivia had told him about her family, and she didn't want to taint his view before he even got a chance to meet them; they could do that themselves. A few minutes with all of her family together in one room could feel like an eternity.

'They're um..' she muttered. 'They're very different than normal parents.'

Fitz cut his eyes. 'What does that mean?'

'I, personally, have never really agreed with the way they treated her.' she said somewhat cryptically. 'They just have a very strict view of what they want Olivia to be, and they're disappointed that she does not match that.'

'So, do you think this dinner is going to go over well?'

'Honestly?'

'Honestly.' he nodded.

'It'll probably go terribly.' she admitted. 'But, Liv loves her parents. She wants them involved in her life, so she'll try and make it work.'

Before they could continue their conversation, the door to the apartment opened and Olivia came out. The dress Abby got her fit perfectly and she was very happy about that. It was a dark, navy blue that touched down to her knees, and the neckline was just enough to show a little cleavage. She had on a pair of pumps that matched the dress perfectly, and silver jewelry. She hadn't bothered grabbing her wallet, but she didn't have her phone clutched in her hand.

Abby stood up from the bench and smiled. 'You look amazing, Liv. This dress is gorgeous.'

'Luckily I have an amazing stylist.' she smiled and looked at her reflection in the window. 'What do you think Fitz?'

Fitz's mind was still on what Abby said, but he smiled regardless. He'd be able to see what her parents were like for himself in just a few more minutes. 'I love it. You look wonderful.'

'Aww.' Abby grinned. 'You guys are too cute. The car will be here momentarily. The gifts are underneath Fitz's seat, so please be careful once you sit. I worked very hard on wrapping those.'

'I was actually just telling Abby that you need to give her a raise.' Fitz said, nudging Olivia's shoulder.

'Remind me one day to show you how much gets drafted out of my account for her check, and you may think differently.' she smirked.

Abby sighed dramatically. 'It was worth a shot though, right?'

'You've always been a dreamer.' she patted her friend's shoulder.

The car pulled up around the corner and parked next to the sidewalk. Olivia preferred to ride around in something pretty discrete if she wasn't driving herself, but the company always sent her nice and exotic cars. It was just their little way of telling her 'thank you' for using their services, but she found it a bit over the top. The driver was dressed in all black tuxedo, something customary for his evening shifts, and he walked around the car to let them in.

'Good evening, Miss Pope.' he smiled and opened up the door.

Abby stepped aside so that they could get in. 'Have fun. The manager called be about 10 minutes ago and let me know that there was a very small crowd of paparazzi that had gathered outside of the building, so please be careful getting in.'

'Yes, mother.' Fitz said sarcastically.

Olivia could only smirk and shook their head. It was amazing that they had really only met a couple of hours ago, and yet they fought like two siblings. She hugged Abby and then kissed her cheek before getting into the car so that they could head towards the restaurant.

Just as Abby had warned, there was a small crowd of people waiting for her when she arrived. Obviously, one of the staff members had tipped them off to where she'd be. Usually they'd put the reservations in Abby's name to throw people off, but that detail had slipped through the cracks this time around. As soon as the black town car with extremely dark tint pulled up, everybody knew it was her and they began to flash pictures.

The driver turned around and looked over his shoulder. 'Would you like for me to drop you off in the rear entrance, ma'am?'

'No.' she shook her head. 'By the time we drive all the way around, they would have had time to migrate anyway.'

Fitz took hold of her hand. He didn't exactly like the look of the crowd himself. 'Are you sure? Maybe we can call the manager and try and get some of them cleared off first.'

'It'll be fine.' she assured. 'Plus, I've got my big, strong boyfriend here to protect me. Nobodys going to hurt me.' Olivia grinned and playfully squeezed one of his biceps.

He laughed and swatted her hand away. The driver put the vehicle in 'Park' and then got out so that he could open the door. Fitz got out first and his whole entire face scrunched up as the cameras began to flash directly into his eyes. Olivia seemed to handle it a lot better, though, as she smiled and waved as her feet touched the pavement. She knew he wasn't as used to all of this attention, so she grabbed her hand as they began to walk towards the door.

The experience was all a bit overwhelming for Fitz. It seemed like all of a sudden he could hear people calling her name from every angle and direction. They looked like polar opposites as he walked with a frown on his face while she worked the camera. The staff in the front lobby opened the glass doors for them to let them inside and then put a curtain over them. All of the patrons inside were a bit curious about the commotion, and they could hear a quiet buzz began to go around as people realized that she was there.

The manager had been waiting for them to arrive and she took a step ahead of the hostess so that she could greet them. She was a short woman, probably around 5 feet, but she was very round. Her hair was black and came down to her shoulders, although she was wearing a bun near the top. She smiled nervously.

'Good evening, Miss Pope.' she bowed her head. 'I would like to offer our most sincere apologies about the amount of people outside. I know that you would have preferred something more discreet, and we are working to get to the bottom of who told them about your plans to dine with us tonight.'

'It's quite alright.' Olivia said dismissively. 'Is our table ready? Have the other guests arrived?'

'Yes, ma'am.' she nodded. 'I will personally escort you to our private dining area.'

'Perfect.' she smiled. 'Lead the way.'

Fitz walked beside Olivia as the followed the manager. A few of the patrons were trying to pull their phones out and sneak and grab a few pictures of her, but it was pretty obvious what they were doing. Olivia didn't seem to mind, though, and he didn't want to make a scene in the restaurant over a few photos. The thought of pictures of him being saved on random people's phones did creep him out just a little, though.

'Have you notice that I'm basically invisible when I'm with you?' he asked as they were lead into a hallway. 'Every time someone approaches, they just say 'Miss Pope' and then pretend I'm not even here.'

Olivia smirked. 'That's because they don't know you. I'm sure they don't mean anything by it.'

'I don't mind.' he shook his head and smiled. 'You deserve it. This is your special weekend and you should be getting all of the recognition in the world. I wish that some of these people weren't so aggressive, though.' Fitz complained.

'I don't know if I deserve all that, but thank you.' she chuckled.

'But, you do. People are recognizing your hard work and it's only fitting that you get all this attention. I'm just glad you're coming back home with me tonight.' he grinned.

Olivia stopped walking and pulled him back to her so that she could look him in the eyes. She was finding it very difficult to not push him into the restroom and hop into his lap in that moment. Since they had been together, Fitz had definitely become her second biggest fan, her first biggest was Tiffany, and she loved it. When other people complimented her or said something nice she knew it was because they probably wanted something in return, but she knew that Fitz meant it.

His eyebrows raised, clearly confused as to what she was doing. 'Why'd we stop walking?'

'Because I'm trying to debate on whether we should go to this dinner, or should I take you back to the car and ride you until you cum.' she murmured.

Fitz blushed. Sometimes the things that came out of Olivia's mouth surprised even him. 'I don't think we can do that now that we're here, Livvie.'

'You're right. I have something else planned for us, anyway.' she shook her head and started walking again as they tried to catch back up with the manager who hadn't even noticed that they had fallen behind.

His cock twitched in his pants as he thought about all of the things that Olivia could have planned for them. He tried his best to think about cows and chickens to try and calm himself down and get his mind off it. Fitz looked straight ahead instead of down at her to ward off some of the dirty things that were currently in his brain.

The manager opened the door to the private room to let them in. Unlike the main dining area that included a bar and plenty of seating, this room was smaller and only had one large, round table in the center. They had access to their own private restrooms, and there was a tiny cart with wine selections in the corner. There were a few windows which looked right out into the water fountains in the courtyard that had been built outside.

Olivia was very relieved that see that their parents hadn't killed each other while they sat and waited for them to arrive. She was a bit hesitant to make a step forward, unsure on who to great first. Apart of her wanted to go and give Angie a hug, but she knew that her parents wouldn't like that one bit. Luckily she didn't have to decide for herself because both of Fitz's parents stood up to greet them.

'You're here!' Angie squealed loudly and hugged both of their necks and nearly choked them. It probably wasn't the most appropriate greeting in a restaurant, but she didn't care. She had missed them both dearly.

Olivia smiled and wrapped her into a hug. 'It's great to see you, too.'

'Hi, mom.' he smiled and patted her back.

Big Gerry took a step back and allowed his wife space to have her dramatic reunion with the kids. He was honestly just pleasantly surprised that she hadn't jumped into Fitz's arms. Once she finally let them go, he was able to hug them as well. They had barely even noticed that Olivia's parents still hadn't even stood up from their seats at the table.

Angie took hold of Olivia's hand when she noticed that she was still wearing the ring that Fitz had given her over the holidays a few months ago. 'I'm so glad you're keeping this safe, Olivia.' she said softly.

'I still haven't taken it off.' she smiled and held her hand up a bit so that they could both look at it. 'It's so beautiful.

Before their conversation could continue, Maya cleared her throat loudly. She didn't exactly like the way Olivia and Angie seemed to be in their own little world as she held onto her daughter's hand so she had to quickly put a stop to it. Liv took hold of Fitz's hand and lead them towards the side of the table where her parents were.

Fitz had always heard that if you wanted to see what a woman would look like when she got older then you see her mother first, and Olivia and Maya proved that it was true. While they weren't exactly carbon copies of one another, he could definitely see a lot of similarities between them.

'It's so good to see you both.' Olivia smiled. Instead of reaching out for a hug, both of her parents stood up and she shook their hands. Fitz found that a bit weird, but he didn't comment on it.

'You as well, Olivia.' Eli said in a somewhat stoic tone.

'And this is my boyfriend, Fitzgerald Grant.' she said as she took a step back from them. 'And, I'm sure you've already met his parents.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you both.' he said although that was a lie. He actually had no interest in meeting her family at all, but he'd play nice tonight. Olivia had already told him that she hadn't seen anybody in her family in months, so this didn't seem like the way families would greet one another.

Fitz walked over to Olivia's chair and pulled it out for her so that she could sit and then pushed it in for her. He took the seat next to her and, just as Abby had said, his foot pressed against the gifts that were underneath. He was careful not to touch them again as he picked up his menu.

'I hope you all weren't waiting for us too long.' Olivia said apologetically as she took a sip of her water that was on the table. 'There was a group of photographers outside waiting to take pictures and it took a little while to get past all of them.'

'You never were too good at being on time.' Maya criticized in a nonchalant tone.

'These types of things wouldn't happen if you had a more acceptable occupation.' Eli commented, still not even bothering to look up from his menu.

It seemed like everybody at the table caught the small digs that Olivia's parents had thrown out, and now all eyes were on her. She knew that this was the little game that they liked to play. They would say underhanded things, and then just pretend like they didn't mean any harm. Not wanting to disrupt dinner, she simply laughed it off and tried to quickly change the subject. 'How was the flight from D.C? I hope there wasn't too much turbulence. I heard that it was pretty windy in the skies today.'

'It wasn't too terrible.' Big Gerry said as he took his attention off Maya. He was starting to get the feeling that Olivia's parents weren't the most friendliest people, but he assumed it was because it was their first time meeting them and that they may have been a little shy.

Olivia was afraid that the conversation wouldnt flow very naturally but, luckily for her, the manager returned a few moments later to take their food orders. Once everybody had their meals in front of them, things got much quieter around the table. She was hoping that they would all hit it off well, but Maya and Eli seemed to be having their own conversation.

Despite all that was going on, she still had a plan for Fitz. She picked her phone up out of her lap and went to send him a text. He was pretty distracted by a story that Angie was telling so he didn't even notice what Olivia was doing until he felt it buzz in his pocket.

 _When we get back I want you to bend me over the dresse_ r -Olivia

Fitz's whole face nearly turned red when he read her message and his nostrils flared out. He cleared his throat a bit and adjusted himself in his seat before leaning over to her to whisper something to her. 'What are you doing?'

'You told me that you wanted to hear more about my dirty thoughts. That's what I'm doing.' she said with a coy smile.

He could only chuckle and shake his head. Only Olivia would purposefully torture him while they were at dinner with their parents. Fitz put his phone back into his pocket, but it immediately buzzed again. He debated just leaving it there, but he was very curious about what else she had to say.

 **I'm not wearing any panties** -Olivia

His jaw dropped but he quickly shut his mouth again so not to bring any attention to him. He held his phone underneath the table so that he could respond.

 **Can I see?** -Fitz

Olivia sent him back a picture of herself while she was back at the apartment. She was wearing her dress, but had pushed it up to her waist using her hand. The picture was taking using the full body mirror in her bedroom, and Fitz could see her panties laying on the floor next to her feet. His nostrils flared up and he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her. If they had been anywhere else, his hand probably would have found it's way towards her lap, but he'd try and control himself while they were with their parents.

'So, Fitzgerald,' Eli said, bringing the couple out of their little bubble. 'What do you do for a living?'

Fitz smiled and sat up straight. He was glad that Olivia's parents seemed to finally be taking an interest and engaging with the rest of them. 'I'm an agricultural researcher and a veterinarian.'

Maya's eyebrows furrowed and she leaned in a bit. 'So, do you own a clinic where you see patients?'

'No, ma'am.' his head shook. 'I actually own a farm where I raise crops and livestock.'

'So, you're a farmer?' Eli's head cocked to the side.

'Not exactly. I-'

'Fitz does more than farming.' Olivia interjected. 'He studies all types of animal behavior and the effects that different types of minerals have on the way that plants grow. And he has a new project coming up as well.' she said, turning to him and prompting for him to continue.

'Oh, right.' he nodded. 'I'm doing some research on the migration habits of young pigs without the influence of predators or sows.'

'Alright.' Maya cut her eyes a bit. 'So, you're a farmer?'

Big Gerry could see that the conversation was getting a bit tense so he cleared his throat. 'So, what profession do you all work in? I don't think that Olivia has mentioned it.'

'We're both medical doctors.' Maya answered.

'What an interesting career choice.' Angie said with a smile. She had sitting in the seat closest to Maya and she reached out to touch her hand. 'You have raised such a wonderful daughter. Olivia has been nothing but a blessing to our family since she and Fitz began dating.'

Maya's nose crinkled and she took her hand out of Angie's. 'Thank you.'

Fitz glanced down at his phone to check the time. They had the room on reserve for about 2 more hours, but he was already ready to go. This dinner didn't seem to be going well at all. He reached down underneath his seat and pulled out the 4 gift boxes that Olivia and Abby had put together.

'We actually have gifts for you all.' he said with a smile.

Olivia nodded her head. 'And we think that you'll all enjoy them.'

'Ooooo!' Angie's face lit up. 'I wonder what these could be. You know I love surprises.'

Fitz smirked. 'I have a feeling that you're going to absolutely love this one.'

Abby had labeled all of the boxes with their parents names, so they handed them out accordingly. By this time everybody had finished their meals for the most part, and the staff had returned to box up their leftovers. Maya and Eli didn't seem too ecstatic about their gifts, but Olivia swore that she saw her mother crack a smile as she began to unwrap it. Angie, on the other hand, was nearly ripping through the papers to get to what was inside.

Olivia didn't want to go too overboard on their presents, but she wanted to make it special for them. She had gotten them all t shirts with 'Grandma' or 'Grandpa' on the front, and their names sewn into the back. At the bottom of the box was a framed photo of her initial sonogram. The picture didn't show much, the baby was just a small little bean when it was taken at 6 weeks, but it was all they had for then.

Just as expected, Fitz's mom was the first one to get hers open. She threw the tissue paper over on Big Gerry, who didn't seem to mind at all, and picked her shirt up. 'What's this for?'

'Seriously, mom?' Fitz asked, surprised that she hadn't put it together yet. 'Keep going through the box.'

Eli picked his shirt up as well and raised his eyebrows then looked over to Olivia. 'Are you pregnant?'

Olivia bit down on her lip, but smiled and nodded her head. 'I am. You guys are going to be grandparents.'

Angie opened up her mouth to say something, but then closed it again when she couldn't come up with the words. Her face turned a bright shade of red and she sniffled as tears began to stream from her eyes. She was soon sobbing uncontrollably; a response they certainly weren't expecting.

'What's wrong, Angel?' Big Gerry asked, rubbing her back and trying to console her.

'I'm… I'm just so happy!' she said, rubbing the tears from her eyes. Gerry could only laugh and wrap his arm around his wife as she continued on with her water works.

'Fitz had a very similar response to you.' Olivia quipped teasingly.

'Hey.' he huffed and nudged her. 'You can't just go around telling everyone I've been crying.'

'How far along are you, Olivia?' Maya asked, cocking her head to the side.

'I'm a little over two months now.' she answered, rubbing her hand over her stomach. 'I found out last month, and we wanted to wait to tell you all in person.'

'Well, this was certainly a surprise.' Eli commented, straightening out the tie he was wearing. 'Where exactly do you two plan on raising this child? On the farm?'

'We haven't talked about that yet.' Olivia said, reaching over to intertwine her fingers with Fitz's. 'But, home for me is wherever Fitz is and he lives in Knights Ferry.'

'Olivia, that child isn't going to have any type of life chasing around after chickens.' Maya shook her head.

'Actually, I've had a few teaching positions that are opening up for me.' Fitz said, although he immediately regretted it. He still hadn't even had this conversation with Olivia yet, but yet here he was telling everybody over dinner. He just didn't like the way that Eli and Maya were implying that they wouldn't be able to properly raise their child.

'You have?' Olivia's eyebrows raised.

'I have.' he nodded. 'Of course I haven't made a decision yet, but we have options.'

'Do they even have adequate medicine in that little town?' Eli asked.

'I'm going to be going to my regular doctor. I've already had an initial appointment, and we're right on schedule.' she explained.

'Well, we're very happy for you two.' Big Gerry smiled and wiped a few of Angie's tears away. 'We know that you both will make wonderful parents.'

'We'll have to see about that one.' Eli said under his breath.

Fitz cut his eyes at Olivia's parents. This was supposed to be a happy celebration for them, and all they had been doing was being negative. He didn't want them stressing Olivia out before her awards ceremony tomorrow. 'Is there something that you'd like to say, Eli?'

His eyebrows raised, surprised that Fitz would challenge him. 'I've said what I've had to say. Anything else I'd prefer to say to my daughter in private.'

'We're all a family now.' Fitz said, wrapping his arm around Olivia's chair. 'I'm sure whatever it is you have to say, you can say in front of all of us.'

He chortled. 'Boy, we're the furthest thing from family. You've just knocked my daughter up.'

'Dad!' Olivia hissed. 'Enough. We're all just trying to enjoy this night and share this news with you.'

'How in the world can you enjoy a pregnancy while you're on a dirty farm in the middle of nowhere?' Maya rolled her eyes. 'You have barely been able to make decisions on your own. How are you going to make decisions for someone else?'

'I have been taking care of myself for a long time. Just because I'm not doing it the way you envisioned it doesn't mean that I'm incapable.' she said sternly. 'Fitz and I are going to do just fine.'

'And, if I could interject, I think Olivia has been doing a fine job. She's always in the news or papers about her accomplishments, and people adore her. You've raised an excellent young lady.' Big Gerry commented.

While Gerry was happy for Fitz and Olivia, he also agreed that the farm was a bad place to raise their child, but he wouldn't say it out loud. He didn't even like when Fitz would visit his grandfather during the summer, so living there 24/7 seemed unfathomable. He also knew that it would be a bit tough to explain his mixed race grandchild to his more conservative peers, but he'd handle that later on.

'We're all just going to have to agree to disagree here.' Eli held his hands up in a false surrender. 'You both have made your bed, and now you must lay in it.'

Olivia could see how tight Fitz's jaw had clenched and she knew that he was on the edge of snapping. She knew that he was only trying to protect her and her feelings, but arguing with them was very unnecessary. She had learned years ago that it was best that she just let them say what they want and then let them be. It was much easier to just prove them wrong. She reached over and touched his knee, a signal that he needed to calm down.

'We don't need any help. I'm glad that you both were here to share in this moment with us.' she smiled softly.

'I disagree.' Fitz murmured.

'But, I can tell that tensions are running a bit high tonight. So why don't we all call it a night and just see each other tomorrow night? Maybe after a good night's sleep, our minds will be clearer.' she suggested. 'When the manager returns I'll have her call around everyone's cars.'

'That's the best idea I've heard all night.' Maya agreed.

Within the next 20 minutes, the entire group was headed out of the back doors of the restaurant. The photographers were still out in front and she didn't want them heckling their families. Olivia had secretly ordered 5 pieces of cheesecake and had them tucked away in her plastic bag with her pasta. She'd blame her cravings on the baby, but it probably had more to do with how stressful the evening had been. She only planned on sharing one of those pieces with Fitz and hiding the rest away in Abby's apartment once they returned to the building.

Fitz's parents car arrived first so he walked them towards the street while Olivia and her parents stayed on the sidewalk. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to them and sighed.

'Would it have killed you two to try and be nice tonight?' she asked, crossing her arms. 'I really wanted you all to get along.'

'Now, Olivia, you know that we've never been the ones to hold our tongue.' Maya responded in a matter of fact tone. 'How were we supposed to react?'

'I don't know.' she groaned. 'Maybe try and be happy for me? For once? This was important.'

'You want us to be happy because you opened your legs for some glorified farmhand?' Eli scoffed. 'You're being delusional.'

'And, we have been happy for you before Olivia.' Maya interjected. 'We were over the moon when you went to college and took your premed classes.'

'That was something that you all wanted me to do. I never wanted to be a doctor.' she pinched the bridge of her nose using her pointer finger and thumb. 'I'm doing what I love and I'm making money from it. I don't understand what the problem is.'

Eli pushed his hands into his pockets. 'These silly little stories aren't going to support you forever, Olivia. You need something to fall back on. If you have to get a job then where are you going to go? You don't have a degree or any type of training. What's the plan then?'

Her eyes rolled. Obviously her parents didn't understand that she made more money than them and her siblings combined. Her books were extremely lucrative, and her deal with her publishing house ensured she'd still be getting paid way into her old age.

'I can tell that this conversation is going nowhere. I will just see you both tomorrow night at the show.' she said dismissively.

'It's not too late, Olivia. You're still young and have time to go back to school.' Maya said as their car pulled up.

'I'm done with this conversation.' she shook her head.

By the time Fitz was done saying goodbye to his family, her parents were pulling off in their car. Their vehicle came up right behind them and their driver got out to open their door for them. Olivia got in first and laid the food down on the floor and sighed. She pushed her heels off of her feet then rubbed her temples as she tried to process their evening. Fitz got in right behind her and shut the door.

'You okay?' he asked, reaching out to rub her knee.

'I'm fine.' she nodded her head and smiled.

Fitz knew that she was lying, but didn't call her out on it. When the driver got back in the car, he glanced at them over his shoulder. 'Would you like to return to your apartment now?'

He was just about to say yes when an idea popped in his head. 'How about we go for a walk?'

Olivia's eyebrows raised. 'You want to take a walk right now? What about all the cameras?'

'I don't care about the cameras.' he grinned, although that was another lie. He hated being followed around, but the fresh air might have been good for them. 'I just want to go out for a walk with my very beautiful girlfriend.'

'My feet are killing me though, Fitz.' her bottom lip poked out. He had forgotten that she had been walking around in heels all day.

'I can take care of that. Leave your shoes in the car.' he said dismissively. He leaned in and kissed her temple. 'Ya know, I've never really steered you wrong before. What's the worst that could happen?'

'So you just want me to walk around barefoot?' her eyebrow cocked.

'No.' he shook his head. 'I want you to trust me.'

Olivia fought back the cheesy smile threatening to take over her face. All she could think about was the first night they spent on the farm together after their 'date'. Fitz wanted to take her on the tractor to show her the stars, but she didn't have any shoes to wear. He ended up carrying her all night long.

He didnt wait for his response before he turned from her and opened up the car door. Fitz stepped out and then offered her his hand. 'Trust me. Please?'

Olivia glanced at the driver who simply shrugged his shoulder. They were paying him a lot of money to work tonight so he honestly didn't care what they did. She was sure to grab her phone before sliding out of the vehicle. Before her feet could even touch the pavement, he scooped her up into his arms. She squealed and laughed, holding on tightly to his neck. Fitz bumped the door with his hip so that it would shut.

'We'll call you when we're ready.' he called out. 'We won't go far.'

'Yes, sir.' he nodded and drove off.

'Fitz, where are we going?' she asked as he began to walk down the sidewalk.

'Well, first we need to find a shoe store.' he chuckled. 'You're just not as light as you used to be.'

'Are you saying I'm getting fat?' Olivia smacked his shoulder.

'No.' Fitz laughed. 'Well, actually yes. But, it's because you're doing something very important right now. You're still just as beautiful as the day I met you. The fact that you're carrying our child only makes me love every part of you more.'

Olivia smiled and rested her head in the crook of his neck. 'Good answer. I thought I was going to have to beat you up for a minute.'

They found a Payless shoe store a few blocks away from the restaurant so they stopped in there. The shop was getting ready to close in 5 minutes, but the employees let them in anyway and just hoped that it wouldn't take them long to finish. Olivia went straight to the sandals selection and grabbed a pair of brown gladiator sandals with flat bottom. She usually only shopped designer brands, but she had to admit that these were pretty cute. Once they paid for them, they tossed the box in the nearest trashcan and started on their actual walk.

'I miss doing this kind of stuff.' Olivia said as they paced through the sidewalk hand in hand. 'The city is so alive at night.'

'Agreed.' he nodded his head. There were a few people on the streets who recognized her, but for the most part everybody seemed to be in their own little world.

'You never told me that you had been offered any teaching positions.' she said softly, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction.

Fitz sighed. 'I know, and I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I just really wanted to figure some things out before I brought it up.'

'So that means that you've been applying.' her brows furrowed. 'How long have you been thinking about this?'

'Honestly? Since we saw Hollis that day in D.C. He told me all about how he left his farm to teach, and that caught my attention.' he shrugged. 'And I know that your lease in Knights Ferry was only a year long. I didn't know what your plan was for when it was over. I guess I was afraid that you'd move and leave me behind.' Fitz said a little sheepishly.

Olivia stopped walking and tugged on his hand so that he'd be facing her. 'Why would you think that?'

'I don't know.' he sighed and ran the fingers on his freehand through his hair. 'We had never really talked about it, and I wanted to be sure. If you didn't want to stay on the farm, then I wanted you to see that I was willing to compromise. I want to be wherever you are.'

She smiled. 'I wouldn't leave you anywhere, Fitz. You know I love you, right?' Olivia asked as she stood on the tips of her toes.

'I know.' she smiled and kissed her lips softly. 'I love you, too.'

'Mmm.' she hummed. 'You better.'

'Now you're threatening me.' he chuckled and pulled her along so they could continue their walk.

'I don't like doing it, but you make me.' she teased. 'Rebecca talked to me about leaving their farm. She said it was the best decision they've ever made.'

'Hollis told me the same thing. He said that they've been a lot happier since they've been back in a major city.'

'We don't just have us to think about anymore, Fitz.' she said, placing her hand on her belly. 'I want our baby to grow up around other kids their age, and go to normal school, and join a soccer team or something.'

'I agree, Livvie, but it's just not that simple.' he shoved his free hand into his pocket. 'That land has been in my family for generations. I can't just give it up and let it go to waste. And if I leave the farm, then I'm not sure what Teddy is going to do. He's really been maturing since he's been staying with us.'

'I know.' she murmured. 'But, maybe Teddy could look after the farm.'

'I don't think he's ready for that, Liv.' his head shook. 'Not by himself.'

'Then you could teach classes during the week, and then go back to Knights Ferry on the weekends. That way you can check in on Teddy and still continue your research.' she suggested. 'Or, maybe you could just have a super long commute.'

Fitz smirked. 'You want me to drive two hours to the farm everyday.'

Her shoulders shrugged. 'It's not impossible.'

'I wouldn't want to be apart from you and the baby that long, Liv. What if something happened? I'd be too far to get to you guys.'

'Well, luckily, we don't have to make any type of real decision today.' she smiled. 'We can figure something out before then.'

'You're right.' he nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. 'In the meantime, I think I want to hear more about this missing panties situation you have going on.'

Olivia laughed and playfully pushed him away.

* * *

'If you don't leave right now then I'm calling the cops!' the lady hissed from the safe area of her front door.

'I'm telling you that this is where my sister lives!' Teddy yelled back, still knocking on Olivia's apartment door.

He and Olivia had gotten very close over the past couple of months. She felt just like a big sister to him and it had become pretty commonplace for them to refer to each other as siblings. He had been hanging out with Tiffany for most of the day, but when he got tired he wanted to come back to the apartment. Fitz and Olivia were supposed to have been back by now so he couldn't understand why they weren't answering the door. The neighbor had heard him knocking on the door and that made her come check to see what was going on. It was only the three of them on that floor and she had never seen Teddy before.

'There's a black woman that lives in that apartment and I can guarantee that you're no sibling of hers.' the woman frowned. 'You need to leave right now!'

'I don't have anywhere to go, lady!' he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. 'All my stuff is in there. She must just be asleep!' Teddy hypothesized as he continued to knock. Neither of them were answering their phones so he couldn't even talk to them.

What he didn't know was that Fitz and Olivia were currently riding around town in the back of their car and making out like two horny teenagers. Luckily for the driver, he had a fully working partition to divide him from the action.

'I'm not going to ask again!' the lady yelled and took a step outside her apartment, pulling out a small bottle of pepper spray in a pink canister.

Teddy sighed. He wasn't sure how in the world he always ended in situations where he ended up being physically harmed. This type of stuff wasn't happening when he was staying with his parents so he had to blame it on Fitz. _Obviously_ his brother was some type of bad luck charm.

Before either of them could make another move, the elevator dinged to let them know that somebody was getting off on that floor. Both of their heads turned and they sighed with relief at the sight of Abby. She was digging through her purse for her apartment keys when she glanced up and saw that was going on.

'Um..' she blinked a few times as she tried to process the situation. 'What's going on here?'

'Thank goodness you're here!' she pointed the canister back at Teddy who immediately covered his face and ducked. 'I caught this hoodlum trying to break into Olivia's apartment. I told him that if he doesn't get out of here then I'm calling the cops!'

'This lady is crazy!' he yelled back, still protecting his face. 'Tell her that you know me, Abby!'

Abby rubbed her temples. She had had a stressful enough day already so this was the last thing she wanted. She put on the brightest smile she could and turned to her neighbor. 'Ms. Stewart-'

'Martha.' she interjected. 'Please, call me Martha.'

'Right.' Abby nodded. 'Martha. Teddy isn't trying to break into this apartment. He's one of Olivia's guests for the weekend. He must have just gotten locked out.'

'I've been trying to tell her that for like 10 minutes.' he huffed.

'Are you sure?' she asked, still cutting her eyes at Teddy.

'I'm positive. But, I'm very sorry that his knocking disturbed you. You can go back into your apartment and enjoy the rest of your evening.' she assured.

'Alright.' she said, backing her way back into her home. 'But, I'm keeping my eye on that one.'

Teddy made a face at the older woman as soon as she shut the door. 'Thanks for getting me out of that, Abby. I don't know why Tom and Liv aren't answering the door. They told me that they'd be back by now.'

'Oh, it's because they're not in there.' she said as she started walking towards her apartment door with her key. 'I talked to their driver, and they decided to take a walk after dinner. I'm not sure how long they'll be out.'

'Oh.' he frowned, feeling a little sad that they had forgotten about him. 'I guess I'll just wait out here for them.'

'I guess so.' Abby shrugged and opened up her door. 'Have a good night, Teddy.'

'You too.' he sighed and sat down on the floor outside of Olivia's apartment.

Abby glanced over her shoulder before she shut her door and nearly chuckled when she saw how pitiful and sad he looked out there. She wasn't going to invite him in at first, but she knew she'd feel bad for leaving him out there. She propped her door open with her hand.

'You can come inside and wait here if you'd like.' she suggested.

'Really?' his face lit up and he nearly hopped to his feet. He realized that he sounded a bit too desperate, though, so he cleared his throat and calmed himself down. 'That would be lovely, actually. Thank you for your hospitality. Maybe we can enjoy a nightcap before they return.'

Abby nearly snorted as Teddy swaggered his way into her apartment. She seriously doubted that he even knew what a nightcap was, she remembered Olivia mentioning that he was only 19, but his attempts at being suave were very adorable. She shut her apartment door and locked it behind her. It wasn't until then that she remembered that she had the extra key to Liv's apartment and that she could have just let him in, but he was already sitting on the couch so she decided to let him stay.

* * *

Just a few minutes later, Fitz and Olivia were coming up the elevators themselves and it seemed like they just couldn't keep their hands off of one another. He was carrying her to the door and trying his best to keep his eyes opened as they kissed. Her legs were locked around his waist and he had a handful of ass in both hands. Olivia knew that they key was in his pocket, so she reached down to grab it. She squeezed down on his now erect penis before pulling her fingers back up.

Fitz growled lowly and pressed her into the door. 'I can't wait to be inside of you.' he said before kissing down her neck.

Olivia moaned and her back arched as she tried her best to unlock her door. The task became extremely overwhelming since she couldn't see the lock and Fitz's warm tongue was exploring her flesh. He used one of his hands to help guide her to the knob and try to get it unlocked.

Once they finally got the door opened, he wasted no time getting her back into the bedroom. He thought that Teddy was already in the apartment and he didn't want him walking in on them. Olivia was grinding her crotch onto the seat of his pants, not caring about the wet spot that she left there. She had always been sensitive to his touch, but it seemed to be magnified now that she was pregnant. It seemed like everything they did nearly pushed her over the edge.

'Don't you dare cum yet.' he warned, his voice low and raspy.

'So close.' she moaned as she continued to rock her hips into him.

Fitz dropped her on top of the bed when they made it into the room and she took her sandals of. He shut the door behind him and then started to get undressed. Usually he liked to take it slow and play with her a bit, but not tonight. He had been craving her since before they left for dinner and he fully intended to claim what was his now. It didn't take him long to strip down until he was completely nude and Olivia couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of him.

He walked over to where she was and helped her stand up. 'Turn around.' he demanded gruffly.

Olivia nodded and turned so that her back was to him. Fitz had become somewhat of an expert of finding all of her buttons and zippers on her dresses, and tonight was no different. He had been eyeing this little piece of metal ever since she had come downstairs after kicking him out. He eagerly pushed it all the way down and then tugged the dress down her body. The only other thing she had on was her bra, and he made quick work of unclasping the material keeping her breasts in place.

She was just about to turn around when he wrapped his arms around her body. He used his knee to part her thighs and then he lightly pushed her over so that her hands would rest against the mattress. With his freehand, he grabbed the base of his cock and rubbed it up and down her wet slit, purposefully bumping into her clit with the tip of his penis. His breath hitched and he threw his head back as her essence coated his thick shaft.

Olivia took hold of the comforter on the bed and pushed her hips back to try and encourage him to enter her from behind. She could feel her inner walls pulsating as she anticipated being filled with him.

' _Fuck, fuck._ ' she hissed as he teased them both.

'You want to be fucked over the dresser, don't you?' he asked, his voice dripping with the dominance that she found so sexy. 'You want me to bend you over and fuck you until you scream?'

'Yes!' she cried out.

'Good girl.' he said before helping he stand back up to her feet.

Fitz walked them over to her dresser next to the wall and she bent over for him. She was already dripping wet and that thought alone made him almost want to burst. One of the things that he really liked about Olivia being pregnant was that he didn't even have to think about using a condom anymore when they have sex. He loved the way her muscles felt against his manhood as they sucked him in further.

She was expecting him to tease her more, but instead he pushed his entire cock inside her entrance without warning. Olivia screamed and threw her head back, her stomach trembling as her fingers clenched the edges of the dresser. Her nails were sure to leave some type of impression on the wood, but she couldn't control herself when it felt like Fitz was rearranging her guts.

He took hold of her thighs and held her still as he began to pound inside of her. Fitz knew the exact speed and rhythm he needed to make her cum so hard she nearly cried, and that was his plan tonight. He held her stagnant while he brought them both pleasure, eventually reaching around to play with her could hear the wood of the dresser repeatedly hitting against the wall with each of Fitz's thrusts, although neither of them cared.

'Don't stop!' she nearly begged before shutting her eyes up tight. She almost couldn't recognize her own voice as she let out some of the most carnal of noises.

Fitz couldn't bring himself to respond. The way she was clamping down on him was almost pushing him over the edge, but he was determined not to cum before she did. He bent over so that his chest would be pressed flush against her back and she turned her head to kiss him. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and rose to the tips of her toes. Her orgasm was nearing and she was trying to escape his hand. He didn't relent, though, as her entire body began to shake and tremble.

Olivia never announced her orgasms, but Fitz always knew the exact moment when it would hit her. Her thighs would become weak, her brows would furrow, and her jaw would drop. The most telling sign, though, was her screaming. Sometimes she would curse, sometimes she'd say his name, and other times she would just yell until it was over.

' _Shit, shit, shit_!' she hissed, her body growing limp as Fitz held her up.

He sighed with relief knowing that he could now focus on his own orgasm. Fitz kissed the back of her neck and her shoulders and slowed his pace down a bit until he was rocking his hips. The signs of her pleasure was now dripping down her legs as she came down from her high. He finished a few minutes later, squirting his warm seed inside of her as his fingers squeezed down on her flesh.

Fitz collapsed on top of her spent body, whispering a string of ' _I love yous_ ' as his dick began to soften. There was a thin film of sweat that had accumulated on both of their bodies, and he pushed some of her damp hair off of her cheek. 'I'll be right back.'

She nodded her head as Fitz slowly pulled himself out of her entrance. Olivia stood straight and turned around, keeping her legs shut up tight as he walked to the master bathroom. She could hear the water running for a few moments before he returned with a wet cloth so that they could clean up. She reached out to grab it, but he shook his head and got on his knees in front of her. She slowly parted her thighs and watched as he gently used to the towel to wipe up their mess.

'You okay?' he asked, looking up at her. 'Was I too rough?'

Olivia smiled down at him, running her fingers through his hair. 'You were perfect. I'm fine.'

'Good.' he returned her expression and laid a chaste kiss on her top of her thighs.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Whew! This one was long. It definitely wasn't on purpose, but sometimes once I get started I just can't stop! I hope that you all enjoyed and leave reviews telling your thoughts on the chapter! There was a lot that needed to be unpacked here before the next chapter! Next time we'll be going to Olivia's ceremony and finally meeting her siblings and friends. As always, thank you so much for reading! Knights Ferry would have never made it this far without all of your support and I greatly appreciate it! Until next time!**_


	23. Olive You

'Mmmm.' Fitz hummed lowly, his chest slightly rumbling as he was roused awake. 'More?' he asked, his voice raspy.

They had both fallen into bed after having sex a few hours ago, and Olivia was out like a light soon after. She had curled herself in a ball against his chest right before shutting her eyes, and he held her tightly. They were both naked with nothing covering them expect a thin film of sweat, and the Egyptian cotton sheets on her bed.

Neither of them had bothered to shut the curtains, so the lights from the moon and busy streets below helped to illuminate the room. The smell of Olivia's lavender air freshener had been overpowered by the potent scent of their love making.

Olivia continued to rub Fitz's chest to try and wake him up, but his eyes were still shut. His hand slid down from her back to her plump behind and he squeezed down on the firm cheek. Her body immediately jerked against his, and he could feel his penis twitching underneath the covers. If she wanted a round 2, then she'd definitely be getting one.

'Fitz, wake up.' she huffed lightly, now shaking him.

'I am up, baby.' he chuckled softly. 'Turn over. I'll give you want you want.'

Olivia groaned softly. Fitz used to always be so innocent and sweet, but it seems as if she had created a sex monster. She could blame no one but herself, though. 'Turn on the light, please.'

He rolled over on his side and pulled down the string on the lamp. Fitz finally opened his eyes, but he had to blink a few times to adjust to the light in the room. He reached down to fist his now semi erect penis, but found Olivia sitting up in the bed.

'What's wrong?' he used his free hand to rub his eyes.

'I'll tell you, but please don't be mad at me.' her bottom lip poked out pitifully.

Fitz sighed when he saw her facial expression. It was very unlike Olivia to pout or complain, but when she did it was because she wanted something. 'I won't be mad. Just tell me.'

'I really want some olives.' she said softly.

His eyebrows raised. 'You hate olives.'

'I know.' she nodded. 'Which is why I think it's so weird that I'm craving them. I can't sleep anymore. My mind is only on olives.'

'What time is it?' he moved to turn over and look at his phone, but Olivia spoke up first.

'It's 2am.' she piped up, knowing that her request was somewhat absurd. She had debated with herself for over an hour on whether or not it was reasonable to wake him for such a ridiculous task.

Fitz groaned loudly and ran his hands down his face. 'Livvie, you can't be serious.'

'I'm sorry.' she said genuinely. 'I know it sounds crazy, but I'd do the same thing for you if you were growing a little human in your stomach. _Our_ little human.' Olivia emphasized.

'Aren't there like 24 hour delivery services around here?' he rubbed his eyes.

'Yes, but they only deliver from restaurants.' Olivia looked down at her hands, feeling a bit guilty for getting him up. 'I called Abby to see if she had any, but she's not answering her phone.'

'I don't even know where to get olives this late at night.' he countered. The thought of getting out of bed was really killing him. He was used to getting up early and working on the farm, but he liked to enjoy the mornings that he got to sleep in past 6am. 'All of the stores around here are probably closed.'

'Sometimes they have them at gas stations.' she suggested, trying to be helpful. Olivia put her hands on the sides of her protruding tummy and began to rub circles on her flesh. 'It's for the baby, Fitz.'

Fitz glanced over at her once more to check if she was serious, and sighed when he realized that she was. He laid flat on his back for a few moments, before finally gathering the strength to sit up. He ran his hands through his unruly hair then swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Olivia's entire face lit up and she glanced down at her stomach, still rubbing it as if she was calming the baby. 'Daddy's going to go and find us some olives.'

'Yay, daddy.' he yawned and shook his head before walking over to his suitcase in the corner of the bedroom.

They had been busy since the moment they arrived in Sacramento. Fitz hadn't had time to unpack or anything, but he didn't think it was that important. They'd be heading back to Knights Ferry soon enough, so there was no reason to pull all his things out. He grabbed a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt out of his bag, but didn't bother searching for a pair of boxers.

She purred softly as she watched him get dressed. 'Going commando? I think I like this look.'

He couldn't help but chuckle because _of course_ she'd be horny now that he was about to leave. Fitz stepped into his pants and then pulled them up at his waist. His dick print was clearly visible, and she couldn't help but lick her lips.

'I hope you won't be showing everybody what's mine.' she facetiously complained. 'I don't want anybody else looking at you.'

'It's all yours, baby.' he teased back as he pulled his shirt over his head. 'And I doubt there will be enough people out shopping to look at me.'

'I'm sorry if I'm being a little bratty.' she apologized once more. 'I can go with you if you'd like.'

'No, no. Just try and get some sleep. You need your rest.' he shook his head before walking over to where she was sitting in bed. 'You're already doing enough as it is. If you can carry our child, the least I can do is get you some olives.'

'Mmmmm.' she hummed with a smile before craning her neck upwards towards him. 'Olive you.'

Fitz nearly snorted at her corny joke. He kissed her puckered lips before walking towards the door. 'Olive you, too.'

'Yay, daddy!' Olivia whispered towards her stomach, although Fitz was still in earshot.

'Yay, daddy.' he said, trying to pump himself up.

Fitz walked straight through the living room and grabbed Olivia's keys that were still sitting on the countertop. It was only then that he realized that he really hadn't seen Teddy since earlier that day. He saw that his bedroom door was shut, though, so he just assumed that he was in there asleep.

It wasn't until he made it to the car in the garage that Fitz remembered that he knew very little about the Sacramento area. He tried to use his phone to find a grocery store near her apartment, but most of them were closed. Determined to not come back empty handed, he turned the car on and then backed out of the parking garage.

Fitz returned an hour later, feeling more tired than ever. He prayed that Olivia got over this little phase as quickly as possible, because he didn't know how they'd manage in Knights Ferry. If she woke up in the middle of the night with cravings, he'd have to drive a few towns over to find any type of store.

He took the elevator to the top floor, and used her key to get in. His eyebrows when he took in the sight before him. It looked as if a tornado had run through the living room and kitchen while he was away. Fitz's first thought was that it had been some type of robbery, and he immediately grew worried.

'Olivia? Teddy?' he called out.

'In here, babe!' Olivia called out from the bedroom.

Fitz walked towards the direction of her voice. Olivia had gotten up while he was away and had managed to pull everything out of the cabinets and refrigerator. She had piles of food surrounding her on the bed, including the multiple pieces of cheesecake that she had gotten from the restaurant earlier that night.

'What is all of this?' he asked, gesturing to the bed.

'I got so hungry while you were gone.' she groaned lowly and she sprayed whipped cream on top of a chip in her hand. 'I thought I was going to die.'

'Do you plan on eating all of this?' his eyebrows furrowed.

'Yes.' Olivia nodded. 'Do you think it's too much?'

'Absolutely.' he said as he walked towards the bed. Fitz had to push some of the food back towards her, just so he could find a place to sit.

Olivia rolled her eyes. 'Did you get the olives?'

'I couldn't find any olives.' he shook his head. 'But, I did go by Pizza Hut and I got you a pizza with extra olives.' Fitz slid her the box.

A huge smile took over her face. She opened it and immediately began to pick the small black pieces away from the cheese. 'My knight in shining armor. You're the best.'

Fitz smirked. 'I don't think you need a whole pizza if you're eating ice cream and cheese cake, too.'

'Just for tonight.' she said, although they both knew that that was a lie. 'I'm eating for two.'

He reached out to grab a chip, but Olivia smacked his hand away. 'Ow! I just wanted one.' Fitz laughed.

'It's for the baby.' she said defensively.

* * *

 **7am**

Abby sat straight up when her alarm sounded on her nightstand. She had gotten into the habit of never pressing the snooze button in the mornings, and prided herself on how quickly she got ready. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before getting out of bed. Today was the day of the award's ceremony, and they had tons to do before tonight. Well, she had tons to do. All she wanted for Olivia was to make the day as painless as possible.

She had a few phone calls to make, but she put them off for a while. Most people wouldn't be open this early, so she wouldn't have gotten much a response, anyway. Since she lived alone, Abby had been sleeping completely naked. Forgetting that Teddy was still there, she walked out of her bedroom so that she could use the toilet.

Teddy was in the kitchen behind the stove when she came out. He had his back turned to her, and hadn't heard her open her bedroom door. He was much too busy trying to figure out how to work her stove and finding out where she kept all of her food.

She squealed when she noticed him standing there, then went straight back into her bedroom and shut the door. Abby grabbed her chest as her heart pounded rapidly. She quickly locked the door and began to search through her room for something to throw on before walking back out.

Teddy's eyebrows raised. He turned the stove off, or at least he thought he did, then walked over to Abby's door. He knocked softly against the wood. 'Abby, are you okay?'

'Yes! I'm fine!' she responded as she threw a sports bra on. It was still dirty from her last yoga class, but it would have to do for this morning. 'I'll be out in a second!'

'Okay.' he said softly. 'I didn't mean to scare you or anything.'

'It's fine, Teddy.' she responded while shimmying her leggings up her thighs.

By the time she finally came back out, Teddy was back in the kitchen. He had opened up each of her cabinets in search for ingredients to make an omelette. Much like Olivia, though, Abby usually skipped breakfast and started her day with a coffee or maybe a bagel from a shop around town. She didn't have anything her fridge except for some milk and eggs.

Abby came out a few moments later, this time fully dressed. 'Sorry, Teddy. I forgot you were here.'

'Oh, um, it's not a problem.' he smiled brightly, although his lip was quivering because he was so nervous. 'I was thinking this morning that a few flowers could brighten up your living area, so I got you some.' Teddy gestured to the new vase of flowers.

Her eyebrows raised. 'Did you leave the apartment to get these?'

'No.' he shook his head. 'I had them delivered. I just had to pay a little extra for the shipping.'

Abby walked over to the table to inspect them. She chuckled softly. 'I don't remember the last time a man bought me flowers. Thank you, Teddy. That was really sweet of you.'

Teddy wanted to say "I'll buy you flowers everyday for the rest of our lives", but that seemed a bit too forward. Instead, he decided to try and play it off. 'No problem. Also, where do you keep your food? I wanted to make some breakfast.'

'I usually eat out, or just skip breakfast.' she shrugged.

'Oh, no.' his eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. 'That's not good for you. You have to eat something so you can keep your energy up.'

Abby nearly snorted. 'I think it'll be okay. But, if you're hungry, we can go and grab something. I have some extra clothes you could wear.'

'Oh, um.' he blushed. 'Do they belong to your boyfriend?' Teddy asked, clearly testing the waters.

She smirked. 'No. My friend Harrison keeps some workout clothes at my place because the gym he goes to is right down the street.'

'Oh.' he smiled again. 'Okay, breakfast sounds great.'

'Good.' Abby nearly laughed. 'Let's take a shower and get ready. I'm supposed to be at Olivia's place soon, so we have to make this quick.'

Teddy's face lit up even more when she said that. She quickly shook her head. 'Separate showers. I'll go first.'

'Of course, of course.' Teddy nodded. 'And, you can leave your purse here. I'll handle breakfast.' he puffed his chest out slightly.

* * *

Fitz woke up and rubbed his sleepy eyes as he tried to process what was going on around him. The night had ended so great, and he had slept like a complete baby after going on his olive adventure. At one point, Olivia was wrapped up in his arms, but now she was gone. He didn't have to wonder long, though, because he could hear her throwing up her late night snack into the toilet.

He swung his legs out of the bed, the soles of his feet pressing hard against the carpeted floor as he tried to wake himself up. Despite the fact that his entire body felt fatigued, he trudged on to the bathroom. Fitz opened the door and turned on the light, Olivia hadn't gotten a chance to, and he walked over to her.

She was clinging tightly to the toilet bowl, but Fitz simply pulled her hair back so that it wouldn't be in the way. With his free hand, he gently stroked her back. He was incredibly grateful that he wasn't a very squeamish person, because he'd never be able to survive this pregnancy. It seemed like she couldn't keep enough food down to even sustain her body weight.

Once she was finished, Fitz reached to flush the toilet. He went to grab her a cool towel and the toothbrush sitting on the counter. Olivia sat quietly with her face in the palm of her hands and waited for him.

'Do you want a little Sprite, Livvie?' he asked softly as he pressed the fabric against the back of her neck.

'I just want to feel better.' she whined lowly.

Fitz almost felt his heart break into 2 pieces. He wished he could do something to take away even a little of her pain and frustrations. Honestly, she had been a trooper so far through the pregnancy. She hardly ever whined or complained, but she seemed a little upset today. He didn't really know the right thing to say to her in the moment, so he continued to rub her back.

He didn't want to mention that she was probably sick because of the junk food feast she had had a few hours ago. The timing just didn't seem right.

She grabbed her toothbrush out of his freehand and popped it in between her lips. Olivia gently scrubbed her teeth and tongue, praying that the taste would go away. Her mouth had almost gone numb from her constant brushing over the past couple of months.

'Let's go to bed.' he said softly, trying to rouse her off of the floor. 'We still have another hour before you need to get up. Let's get some rest.'

Olivia simply nodded her head, way too tired to put up a fight. She spit the toothpaste out into the toilet then flushed it once more. Fitz helped her stand to her feet then led her back into her bedroom. He made a quick trip to the kitchen to grab her a bottle of water, but he was back by the time she was pulling the covers completely over her body.

Fitz put the bottle on her nightstand then crawled in bed next to her. He pushed his body up behind hers, holding her close as his hand rested on her belly. He kissed the back of her neck a few times as she began to shut her eyes once more.

'I love you.' he whispered into her ear. 'I love you so much. It's going to all get better soon.'

'I know.' she responded, resting her hand on top of his. 'I just feel like I'm fucking something up. If I feel this bad, I don't know how they feel.'

'You're not fucking anything up.' he shook his head, although in reality Fitz had no idea. 'The baby is going to be fine.'

'I really hope you're right, Fitz.' she said right before shutting her eyes.

Just as the two of them were drifting off to sleep, there was a knock on the front door. Olivia groaned loudly and hid her face in her pillow, praying that she could just escape the room. Fitz got up to go and get it, but she stopped him.

'It's just Abby. She'll let herself in.'

His eyebrows raised. 'How do you know it's Abby?'

'Because I know the way she knocks.' Olivia responded as if that was just the most normal thing in the world.

Before Fitz could object any further, they heard the door open. He was about to put on some clothes and go check, but Abby spoke up before he could. Their friendship and connection never ceased to amaze him.

'Olivia, you okay?' she asked through the door. Usually she wouldn't mind just bursting in, but she had a feeling Fitz was in there too. She had seen Olivia naked plenty of times, but she wasn't prepared to see him today. It was already bad enough that Teddy may have gotten a peek at her privates earlier.

'I'm fine, Abby.' she lied. 'I'll be out in a minute!'

Teddy followed in behind Abby with the biggest grin on his face. He was still a little upset with Fitz and Olivia for forgetting him the night before, but none of that mattered right now. He had spent the night with the most beautiful woman he had ever met, even though he was on her couch, and he was in love. He had never liked anyone so much in his life, and he swore that his heart was going to float out of his chest and come up through his mouth.

They hadn't done anything. Their breakfast was pretty informal, they just grabbed a coffee and granola from Starbucks, but Teddy saw it as something more. When they finally got married and had a few kids of their own, this would be the story he told them. He felt even better knowing that he spent his own hard earned money on everything.

Abby had stopped by her place to pick up her bag that all of her things in it, but Teddy had insisted that he carry it. He had laid it down on the couch, so she dug through it to find her physical copy of Olivia's planner. She flipped through it until she found the correct date.

As soon as Olivia walked out of the room, Abby began to spout information out to her. 'Good morning, Liv. I got Dr. Fulton to squeeze you in for an appointment this morning, then we need to go downtown to the bookstore for a small meet and greet. At 12 we have a lunch with Cyrus, then I have you scheduled for a 2 hour power nap.'

'You know me so well.' she said, immediately looking forward to her midday nap.

'Hello.' Teddy waved his hand to get her attention. 'I'm here, too.'

Olivia smirked and patted the top of Teddy's head, ruffling his hair up a bit. 'How did you sleep. Ted?'

Teddy usually didn't mind when Olivia did that, but he quickly moved his head away. He didn't want to look like a little kid in front of Abby since he had been trying very hard to impress her. 'It was okay. I wish I had been able to get to my stuff, though.'

Her eyebrows furrowed. 'Why couldn't you get to your stuff?'

Abby crossed her arms. 'You two lovebirds were late getting back from dinner, so Teddy was locked outside.'

'Oh my gosh.' her jaw dropped. 'Are you serious? I'm so sorry, Ted. We thought you were already in.'

'It's okay.' he waved her off. 'I stayed with Abby instead and slept on her couch.'

'Really?' she looked between the two of them.

'Yep.' he nodded proudly. 'Then, I bought us breakfast this morning.'

Olivia cut her eyes, but decided to question Abby about it later on. She could tell that Teddy had a crush on her, and she wanted to find out exactly what happened the night before. She also remembered that Abby had missed all of her late night phone calls when she was on the search for olives. Before their conversation could continue, Fitz came out of the bedroom.

Abby smiled as she entered into manager mode. 'Great. I see that everyone is up and ready to start the day. You two need to be leaving if you're going to make this appointment. Dr. Fulton is doing us a huge favor by coming in today.'

Fitz's eyebrows raised. 'Dr. Fulton? I didn't know we were going to see her this weekend.'

'I didn't either.' Olivia shrugged. 'Abby is a miracle worker.'

A smug grin spread across her face. 'I certainly am. You guys need to leave in the next 30 minutes to make it there at a decent time. I still need to get Olivia into hair and makeup before 12.'

Both Fitz and Olivia nodded their heads then went to go get ready. Teddy was sitting on the couch, looking at Abby in awe. 'You're really good at your job.'

'The best.' she winked at him then went to call Dr. Fulton to let her know that they were on the way.

* * *

After about an hour, Fitz and Olivia were showered and ready to head to Dr. Fulton's office. Abby had already requested a car for them, and the driver was waiting downstairs in front of the door. Fitz didn't really mind being chauffeured around town, but it did make him a bit uncomfortable. He was used to driving and doing things for himself, so it felt a bit strange to have somebody around. Luckily, it didn't take long to get to the office and the driver dropped them off in the rear entrance.

Dr. Fulton was sitting there waiting on them and quickly opened the door. Abby had already filled her in on the encounters with fans, and she didn't want anyone snooping around. She was very protective of her clients and their privacy.

'Good morning, Olivia.' she greeted as she held the door open for them both.

'Good morning, Dr. Fulton.' she reached to hug her. 'Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know how you feel about Saturday appointments.'

She waved her off. 'It's fine. I need to have you and Abby around to keep me on my toes. And who is this?' she nodded her head towards Fitz.

'This is my boyfriend. His name is Fitzgerald Grant.' Olivia said, gesturing to Fitz.

Fitz extended his arm to shake her hand. 'It's very nice to finally meet you. Olivia has said such great things about you.'

'She better had. I'm the one delivering her baby.' she snorted. 'I do have to ask you before we begin, Olivia. Did you want to be examined in private, or is it alright to discuss your medical information in front of Mr. Grant?'

'It's fine.' she nodded. 'He can join us.'

'Excellent.' she smiled and turned on her heels so that she could lead them to an examination room. Dr. Fulton opened one of the doors so that they could walk in. 'I already set out a gown for you to put on. You just get ready and I'll be back in a moment.'

Olivia waited until the door shut behind them to strip out of her clothes. She had on a very loose fitting sundress, that Fitz helped her to unzip, and a pair of sandals. She hadn't bothered putting on a bra, so that left her only in a pair of white, cotton panties. He whistled lowly as she shimmied the fabric down below her ankles.

'Can you get your mind out of the gutter?' she smirked and grabbed the gown off of the examination table.

'I'll try.' he said, although his eyes were attached directly to her swollen breasts. 'But, I'm not going to lie and say that this isn't just a little sexy.'

'Is it still going to be sexy when Dr. Fulton comes back?' Olivia said as she slipped her arms through the fabric of the gown and then tied it around her back.

His nose crinkled. 'No, but thank you for ruining my fantasy.'

Olivia gave him a faux apologetic look before climbing onto the table. There was a small stair near the bottom of it, which made it a lot easier to get on top of. Her legs dangled over the side as they waited for the doctor to return. Fitz pushed his chair closer to where she was, so that they could sit close during their appointment. He already hated that he missed her first visit, so he wanted to be able to soak everything in this time.

Dr. Fulton knocked before entering and greeted them with another bright smile, and Olivia's chart. She grabbed the rolling stool that was in the room, and scooted right up close to her. She placed a gentle hand on her knee.

'How have you been feeling since your last appointment, Olivia?' she asked, ready to jot down whatever she said.

Olivia took a deep breath. 'Well, I've been fine really. The nausea hasn't gotten much better, and I've been having some hot flashes.'

She nodded. 'All of that sounds pretty normal. What about emotionally?'

'I'm good.' she confirmed. 'I'm still very excited. It doesn't even feel real.'

'Well, its definitely real.' she laughed. Dr. Fulton stood up and grabbed the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Olivia's arm. She squeezed down on the inflated ball a few times and closely monitored the numbers. 'Mood swings?'

'Yes.' Fitz nodded his head, causing Olivia to swat her hand at him.

'No.' she retorted with a chuckle.

'Have you been sleeping alright? Appetite good?'

'Sleeping is normal.' she nodded. 'Appetite is amazing.'

'Make sure not to overeat, Liv.' she reminded. 'You still need to be healthy.'

Fitz wanted to bring up the fact that Olivia had eaten a whole junk food buffet just the night before, but the look she shot him out the corner of her eyes was a sign to shut his mouth. Dr. Fulton's nose crinkled as she read the numbers on the cuff.

'Your blood pressure is a little high, Olivia.' she said as she grabbed her notebook to jot down the readings. 'It's usually pretty perfect.'

'I'm just under some stress right now.' Olivia explained, ignoring the way Fitz's eyebrows were knitting together. He was obviously worried about what the doctor was saying. 'We have the ceremony tonight and our families are in town. It's just very hectic.'

'And I understand that.' she nodded. 'But, you need to be careful. A little stress doesn't sound like anything to you, but the baby can feel it, too. They're not as equipped as we are to handle extra pressure. What have you been doing to decompress?'

Her nose crinkled as she tried to think of something. 'Well, I've still been practicing my yoga, but that's about it. I don't really do anything too strenuous.'

'What about work?' she asked with her arms crossed. 'I know that you've been working on your new story. How is that going?'

'Good.' she nodded. 'I have a few deadlines coming up, but I don't think that's what it is.'

'Well, I want this number to go down, Olivia.' she said plainly. 'If not, I may have to recommend you stop working for the duration of this pregnancy.'

'Alright.' she softly agreed with a sigh, very eager to change the subject. Not working wasn't an option for her, so they'd have to find another way. 'I'll take it easy.'

'Make sure that you're getting enough fluids in your system. We don't need you getting dehydrated.' she pulled a pamphlet out of her bag. It contained a few home remedies for nausea, so she hoped that she'd be able to find something helpful in there. 'You're approaching the end of your first trimester, how does it feel?'

'Good.' she nodded. 'I kind of wish we could speed things up a bit. I'm ready to feel some kicking or movement. It worries me that they're just sitting still.'

She chuckled a bit. 'They're moving around, Olivia. You just can't feel it. Before you know it they're going to be fluttering around all the time and you're going to wish for the days that they just laid there and let you sleep.'

'How much longer do we have until we can find out the sex of the baby?' Fitz asked, now holding Olivia's free hand.

'Well, typically we can see it through an ultrasound at around 4-5 months, so you still have a little while left.' she said sympathetically. 'But, we can probably run a test at your next appointment.'

'What kind of test?' Olivia's eyebrows furrowed.

'Just a simple procedure we do in office. Its called a NIPT screening. I usually like to perform it at around 10 weeks, but we know that your situation is a little different since you're so far away.' she began to dig through her bag for another pamphlet. 'It's a test that will help us determine if the baby has any signs of Down Syndrome or any other chromosomal condition. It takes about 2 weeks for the results to get back.'

'And we can also see if it's a boy or a girl?' Fitz grabbed the paper from her hand and began to look over the cover of it.

'Yes, sir.' she nodded. 'I just need Olivia to come in and do some blood work.'

'Why can't we do it today?' he asked, skimming through the words. 'Why do we have to wait?'

'I like to give my patients enough time to figure out if they really want to do this, or wait until the 4 month mark.' the doctor explained. 'But, if you both are sure, we can do it today and I can call you with the results.'

'And what if the screening says that the baby is sick? What do we do then?' Olivia asked, a frown now etched across her face.

'There won't be anything we can do except for prepare at that point.' she stood up from the stool. 'I typically only do these with my older patients because the test can be a bit fickle with younger people.'

'So even if the results come back positive, they could still be wrong?' Olivia asked, squeezing down on Fitz's hand.

'That's exactly what I'm saying.' she straightened out her clothes a bit. 'But, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Olivia. Just get some rest, eat your vegetables, take your vitamins, and monitor your stress levels.'

'I will.' she sighed, now feeling more pressure than before. A part of her wished she hadn't said anything about stress in front of Fitz, because she knew he'd go overboard with trying to help.

'I also want you to start checking your blood pressure. You can get a cuff from a drug store to take home with you. Or, if theres a physician in Knights Ferry, I'd like for you to see them in between our visits.'

'If you can send a brand recommendation to Abby, then we can get one before I leave.' Olivia agreed. There was one doctor in Knights Ferry, but she knew she didn't want to go there.

'I'll have my nurse send a list in about an hour.' her head nodded. 'I can give you guys a few minutes to talk about this if you'd like. I need a blood sample from you today, Olivia, for screening purposes.'

Olivia groaned but nodded her head. 'That's fine.'

Dr. Fulton smiled and patted her knee before exiting the room. Fitz stood up so that he could be eye level with Olivia and showed her the paperwork that the doctor had left behind. 'What do you think, Liv? I don't want her to have to poke you with anymore needles than necessary today.'

She grabbed the pamphlet from his eyes and read over a few of the diseases they'd be testing for. 'I don't really mind the shots. Are you sure you don't want to wait a little while longer?'

'I don't, but, I'll do whatever you want to.' Fitz said, although he was dying to see the results. He was pretty sure that it was a girl, and he was ready to start telling their family and friends.

Olivia chuckled lowly because she knew the wait was driving him crazy. 'I think we should do it.'

'Really?' his face nearly lit up and his heart began to pound a bit faster.

'I know that waiting has been absolutely killing you.' she teased.

Fitz wanted to object, but he couldn't. A huge grin spread across his face and Olivia was sure that it touched both of his ears. She hadn't seen him this happy in a long time, and she was glad that she was the one able to make him smile this wide.

'Do you still think it's a girl?' she asked before reaching out and taking his hand. Olivia raised her gown up a bit and placed his palm on her stomach.

'Absolutely.' he immediately responded.

'But, you'd be happy either way, right?' Olivia put her hand on top of his.

'Of course.' he nodded. 'As long as we have a healthy and happy baby, I won't care what they are. We'll just have to keep trying until we get a girl.'

Olivia burst into laughter and pushed him away. 'Who said that this was happening again?'

Fitz leaned in and playfully nipped at her lips. 'You're not too hard to seduce. After glass of wine and some soft music, you'll be ready to give in.'

She snickered and pulled away from him. 'That's your plan?'

'I'll even bring a box of chocolates.' he pressed his forehead against hers.

'You're going to have to bring a lot more than chocolate for this to work.'

Dr. Fulton returned with her nurse to see them giggling and flirting with each other. She had never seen Olivia like this, so it definitely took her by surprise. She cleared her a throat a bit to catch their attention then started walking back to her stool.

'If you two aren't careful you're going to have baby number #2 very soon.' she playfully taunted.

'That's the plan.' Fitz said, puffing his chest out proudly.

The nurse and Dr. Fulton both laughed, but Olivia hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. She lightly hit his arm, a warning that he needed to behave himself. 'Please excuse him. He's getting a bit ahead of himself.'

'I wouldn't be surprised if you're back here again in a year, Ms. Pope.' the nurse chimed in with a wink as she ripped out the paper to an alcohol wipe.

'We should go ahead and start setting our appointments up now.' Fitz nudged Olivia.

Dr. Fulton chuckled and shook her head. 'What did you guys decide about the NIPT? Are we doing it?'

Olivia took a breath and then smiled and nodded her head. 'We are. I don't think he can wait another month to find out what the baby is.'

'Oh, really?' her eyebrows raised. 'What do you think it is, Mr. Grant?'

'A girl.' he said with another big smile on his face.

'Well, we'll be finding out very soon.' the nurse commented as she wiped Olivia's arm down and gave her a stress ball to squeeze. 'Take a few deep breaths for me, Miss Pope.'

'And, while I have you both here, I think we should talk about a few things.' Dr. Fulton said, crossing her legs.

'What is it?' she asked, looking away from the blood being drawn from her arm.

'I want you to stay in Sacramento towards the end of your pregnancy.' she immediately saw the way Olivia's face scrunched up, so she further explained. 'During the first trimester, I like to see my patients once a month. This is only your second appointment and I want to be able to monitor your pregnancy.'

Olivia immediately looked to Fitz and thought that it was a bad idea. He wouldn't be able to leave the farm for that long at one time, and she wouldn't want to be without him. Not when she was about to give birth to their child. She was about to object, but he spoke up first.

'That's a wonderful idea. We will follow through with whatever you recommend.' he nodded, leaving no room for discussion.

Her eyebrows raised, but she wouldn't question him in front of Dr. Fulton. 'Do you really think this is necessary?'

'Liv if you promise not to miss another appointment, then staying in Knights Ferry is fine for now.' she compromised. 'But, at some point, you're going to need to stay in the area. A 2 hour drive is a long way to come once your water breaks.'

The thought had honestly never crossed Olivia's mind, but she was glad that Dr. Fulton brought it up. She agreed, knowing that she and Fitz would have to work out the details later.

* * *

Olivia thought she'd have time to talk to Fitz after they left the doctor's office, but she was wrong. Abby swung by to pick her up in a separate car, while Fitz went back to her apartment. She was going to be getting her hair down at the stylist's house so that they could go directly to her meet and greet. After they finished there and had a quick lunch, it was time to go to their event.

The small gathering was going to be held at her favorite little bookstore in town, and she was actually pretty excited about it. This would be her first official fan interaction since moving to Knights Ferry, and she was happy to see some of her loyal readers. She thought that being away would help her right, but she kind of missed her old life.

Although Fitz probably would have preferred she use the bodyguard services, he didn't push the issue. He knew how much being followed around by strange men bothered her, and he didn't want to put her under anymore pressure. He just prayed that she and Abby were careful and that nobody tried anything crazy. There would be security provided at the event, so that made him feel a little better about the situation.

While Olivia and Abby would be busy for most of the day, Fitz and Teddy would be taking their parents out to eat. Their mother had never been to Sacramento, and she was absolutely itching to get out and see all the sights. She had even managed to bring an empty suitcase, just so she'd have enough room to bring back souvenirs. Big Gerry didn't really care for acting like a tourist, but he'd grin and bear it for his Angel.

The ride to the bookstore was mostly quiet until Olivia reached out to grab Abby's phone out of her hand. 'Abby—'

'Liv, what the hell?' her nose crinkled. 'I need to send a message.'

She smirked. 'Can I ask you something first?'

'Of course.' she nodded, although she tried to wrangle her phone back. 'You can ask me anything. You know that.'

Olivia reached forward and pressed the button on the seat so that the partition would rise.

'Uh oh.' Abby crossed her arms. 'This must be top secret. Coco coconut?'

Olivia snorted. She and Abby had their own little code language that they had been using since elementary school. Coco coconut meant that they had something very important to discuss.

'Coco coconut.' she confirmed. 'What happened last night?'

Her eyebrows raised. 'What do you mean? Like, what was I doing last night?'

'Yes.' Olivia smirked.

'Um..' she tapped her chin a couple of times as she tried to recall the events from the previous evening. 'I left here and went to the venue for the ceremony. Once I did that I went to pick up a few test covers for the book for us to look at over lunch, then I went to yoga and came home.'

'I meant after that.' she nudged her. 'What happened after you let Teddy in?'

'Oh.' her entire face scrunched up. 'He came inside and I gave him some water. He said something about having a nightcap, but I remember you saying that he was 19 so I didn't want to give him any alcohol. We waited an hour or so for you guys to get back, but then I went to bed and he slept on the couch.'

'And nothing else happened?' Olivia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Abby laughed. 'Liv, what do you think happened?'

'I don't know.' she shrugged. 'But, it seems like somebody's got it pretty bad for you.'

'Oh my God.' she groaned and shook her head. 'He's a kid, Olivia. He just has a little crush on me, that's all. Maybe we should take him to a college campus and let him scope some of the women out there.'

'If Teddy is anything like his brother, that would never work.' Olivia objected. 'When Fitz gets something in his mind, absolutely nothing can change it. I've never seen him act like this before. He seems to be pretty stuck on you.'

'19 year olds are stuck on a lot of things.' Abby quipped. 'Video games and those little animation shows they watch— he needs somebody his own age.'

'So are you saying that if he was older, you'd date him?' Olivia grinned.

'You're putting words in my mouth.' Abby gently punched her arm.

'Why didn't you just let Teddy into my apartment?' she asked, her tone filled with unspoken accusation. 'You're the one with the spare key.'

'I forgot about it.' she shrugged. When it seemed like Olivia still didn't believe her, she laughed and tried to explain further. 'When I made it back, Teddy was standing outside your door and Martha was threatening to spray him with pepper spray. I wasn't exactly thinking straight in that moment.'

'I think you invited him in because he's cute.' she teased further.

'Or, because I saw a kid about to be attacked by Martha Stewart and I wanted to help save his dignity.' Abby snorted.

'It's the Grant man charm, Abbs.' Olivia sat back in her seat and turned her head so that she could look out the window. They were down the street from the shop now, so she wanted to mentally prepare herself. 'Once you fall for the charm, you're stuck. Fitz's mom told me the exact same thing.'

'You're both crazy.' she rolled her eyes before unlocking her phone once more to send a message. 'Also, you never told me how dinner went last night. Everyone on their worst behaviors?'

'You know Maya and Eli can't go anywhere without causing a scene.' she rolled her eyes. 'They basically implied that we were going to be terrible parents, and that I was dumb for getting pregnant.'

Abby sighed. 'I hate to say this, Liv, but your parents are bitches.'

Olivia chuckled and shook her head because she knew for a fact that Abby loved calling her parents bitches. 'I know that deep down somewhere they love me, Abby. And I'm sure that they're going to love my baby, too. This is going to be their first grandchild.'

'I can't wait to see the look on your sister's faces when they find out that you got pregnant before they did.' she grinned.

'It's not a race.' she rolled her eyes.

'I know, I know.' Abby agreed. 'But, this is something that nobody thought you would do. They all thought you'd die alone and lonely. Now you have a family before any of them.'

'I suppose proving them wrong is a bit satisfying.' she smiled and rubbed her stomach. 'I just want them to be supportive.'

'And if they're not, we'll pick up the slack.' she rested the palm of her hand over Olivia's. 'Just like we always do.'

They shared a quick smile before the driver pulled up at the book store

Mad Hatter Books was a tiny little shop with a lot of personality. It was basically a small hole in the wall who survived off of the business of a couple of regular customers. When Olivia and Abby first moved to Sacramento, they were on the brink of shutting down. They were practically giving away all of their inventory, just to get rid of it before closing. Olivia offered to do an exclusive book signing there, and it gained them a bit of notoriety. The owner was so grateful that he had even named a couple of the in house coffees served after her and her books.

The security at the club had a strict number of people who were allowed to enter, and everyone else was stuck outside. When their car pulled up, everyone started to scream and take pictures in anticipation of Olivia getting out. The driver parked and ran around to the other side so that he could open her door for her. Abby was sure to stand in front of her, just in case anyone tried to run up on her too quickly.

Olivia smiled and waved at everyone waiting outside. She hated that they all couldn't participate, but she knew it was for her own safety. A security guard outside ushered them along, while another one held the door open for her. She was glad Abbey persuaded her to go with a pair of sandals instead of heels because her feet were still a bit sore from the night before. Not only that, she knew she'd have to wear them tonight while accepting her award.

The shop didn't really have a lobby area, but there was a clear space in the front where the register was. Security has put up a blackout curtain in between there and the area for the guests so that people wouldn't know when she arrived. They didn't want them rushing her at the door.

The owner of the shop immediately came up to give Olivia a hug and kiss on the cheek. Peter was in his late 40s, had never been married, and rarely ever left the shop. His passion were people and books, so he was basically living the dream. He hugged Abby tightly afterwards and held her there for a moment. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he had always had a crush on the lively redhead.

'Thank you both so much for doing this.' he smiled brightly. 'We've been the talk of the block for a month now. People have been lining up to pick up your books. I had to order new stock!'

'Definitely not a bad problem to have.' Olivia smirked and playfully nudged him. 'How's the crowd? Getting anxious?'

'Very.' he grunted. 'You're here almost 10 minutes early, and they've been whining since they got here. Luckily they came hungry, though. I've been selling pastries left and right.'

'Speaking of pastries—' Abby said, gesturing to the counter that had a plate full of cakes and cookies.

'You know I've got you covered.' he chuckled and reached behind his counter. He had two plates of food prepared for them, a cup of their favorite coffee.

Olivia took the cup into her hand and was just about to drink, when she remembered that she couldn't have any. She became a bit flustered as she tried to hand it back off to Peter. 'Oh, none for me.'

'Oh.' he frowned. 'Something wrong?'

'I don't know if Abby told you but.' she glanced down at her stomach.

His eyebrows raised, clearly not seeing the connection. Abby smirked and put her hand over Olivia's stomach, rubbing her palm over her swollen belly. 'She's got a little something cooking.'

Peter's face immediately perked up. 'Olivia! Congratulations! I had no idea!'

'I didn't either.' she chuckled. 'I wasn't necessarily trying, but we're happy about it. It's actually pretty exciting.'

'You have to host the baby shower here.' he took her hands in his. 'I won't take no for an answer. Everything will be free of charge, of course. We're going to have to name a drink after her.'

'It's a boy.' Abby playfully corrected, her hand still resting on Olivia's abdomen.

Olivia chuckled. 'We don't know the sex yet, Abby is just assuming. We still have a little while longer until we find out.'

'Well, I think it's a little girl.' he held his hand over Olivia's stomach as a silent request for permission. When she nodded her head, he immediately rubbed her tummy. 'Definitely a girl.'

'Are you willing to bet money on this?' Abby's eyebrows quirked.

Olivia shook her head. 'You're not putting bets on the baby.'

Peter gave Abby a look which let them know that they'd talk about later. In all honesty, Peter would do anything that she asked him to do. He was putty in her hands if she wanted him to be. 'I'll go and make you some tea instead. How does that sound?'

'Perfect.' Olivia nodded. 'Can you bring it out to me? I want to go ahead and get this started up.'

'Sure thing. I'll run out and introduce you.' he said before stepping to the other side of the curtain.

'You're going to do great.' Abby assured, although Olivia typically didn't need any type of pep talks. She had been doing this long enough to be an old pro at it. 'I'll be sitting in the crowd with Peter if you need anything.'

'Gotcha.' she grabbed a cookie off of her plate before handing it back off to Abby. She went to stand next to the curtain and waited until Peter finished her introduction to actually come out.

The staff had set up a small stage area with a microphone and chair for her. It would be something like a panel discussion, although there was only one of her. People immediately began to cheer and take pictures, and she stopped so that she had time to wave and pose for a few before taking her seat.

Once Olivia finally made it to her chair, she had to hold in her laughter. Sitting right on the front row yelling the loudest and still taking pictures was Fitz's sister, Tiffany. She was wearing a black t-shirt with Olivia's face printed all over it, and she was holding a copy of one of her books. She didn't know if her obsession would ever die down, but it was pretty funny to watch. She took her seat, and then motioned for everyone else to sit down as well.

As soon as the crowd died down a bit, Tiffany threw a flower crown to her. Olivia smirked and grabbed it off of the floor then put it on the top of her head before grabbing the microphone. 'Does anybody else have any gifts for me before we start?'

Everyone in the crowd immediately got up and brought her the items they had brought. It was a good mixture in between t-shirts, hats, and some really cool looking fan art. She knew she wouldn't be able to carry it all alone, but Abby and Peter would help her get everything in the car. The security guard was a little concerned about so many people coming up at once, but Olivia assured him that it was alright. Before long, she had boxes stacked up at her feet.

'Thank you all for coming out today, and thank you all for the wonderful gifts.' she said as she gestured down to the floor. 'This is my first official appearance in a few months, and I couldn't think of a better place to do it than here.'

The entire crowd began to cheer and clap their hands. Tiffany yelled out loud enough for everyone to hear. 'We love you, Olivia!'

Olivia giggled softly and pinched the bridge of her nose to try and keep herself together. She knew Fitz would have a fit if he knew the way Tiffany was acting right then. As long as she was having a good time, then none of it mattered. 'I love you, too!' she said back into the microphone.

She was only scheduled to be at the shop for an hour. They still needed to meet up with Cyrus to have lunch, so Olivia tried to move things along fairly quickly. For the first 30 minutes she allowed everyone to ask questions, and for the last part everyone came up to take pictures and get their books signed. She wasn't surprised when Tiffany was the first person in line, despite the fact that they already had plenty of photos together.

Right after Tiffany, though, was a man who seemed almost as equally excited. He had a copy of her latest book clutched to his chest, and was wearing a shirt with the main characters on it. Olivia didn't think much of it because mostly everyone was wearing some type of paraphernalia.

'Miss Pope, it's so nice to see you again!' he said as he held his book out.

Olivia cut her eyes at him, because she definitely didn't recognize his face. Instead of being rude, though, she just smiled and nodded her head and went to sign his book. 'Thank you for coming out again to see me. It means a lot that I have such great supporters.'

'Oh, I was happy to make the 10 hour drive.' he gushed. 'You know that I'm your biggest fan.'

She chuckled to herself and prayed that Tiffany was out of ear shot, because she knew that that wouldn't go over well with her. 'I believe you, too.'

The man grabbed the book back from Olivia's hands and read what she wrote. " _Thanks for your support, and for being my biggest fan- Olivia Pope_ "

He grinned widely and shut the book. 'I'm going to have to frame this when I get home.'

Olivia smiled and patted his shoulder. 'Make sure you Tweet a picture of it so that I can see.'

'I will.' he eagerly nodded before walking off of the stage.

Instead of trying to wrack her brain to try and figure out who the man was, Olivia went on to take another picture with the next person. Over the years she had been on countless tours and too many countries to even count. There was no way she was going to be able to remember one random guy.

As the guests took their photos, they were supposed to quietly file out of the store. Peter needed enough time to clean things up so that he could actually open the shop for the day and make some money, and it would give Olivia a clear path to get to her vehicle. The security guards were very strict that people moved along, and Abby stood at the door to thank everyone for coming.

Once the last guest had left, Abby and Peter joined Olivia on the stage so that they could start packing her gifts up. The security guards went around the building once more to make sure that all the doors had been locked, and one of them went to call her driver to let him know to come to the entrance. Tiffany had been hiding behind one of the bookshelves, watching for the moment that all of the other fans left.

Before anyone could notice her, she ran from her hiding spot and onto the stage. She almost jumped into Olivia's arms to give her a real hug. Abby's breath hitched as she tried to process what was going on, and she immediately tried to pull her off. 'Security! Security!'

Peter also began to try and pull them apart, both just assuming that she was just some crazy fan, but Tiffany was clinging to her fairly tightly. The security guards began to rush to where they were to try and kick her out of the shop.

'It's okay!' Olivia said, loud enough for everyone to hear over the commotion. She wrapped her arms around Tiffany, giving her a hug. 'I know this one. She's with me.'

Abby looked between the two of them and then sighed with relief. This situation could've gone a lot worse if it had been anyone else. She made a mental note to complain to the security company about not doing adequate perimeter checks.

Olivia patted her back a couple of times before letting go. 'This is Tiffany. She is Fitz's younger sister, and a very big fan of my books.'

'The biggest fan.' she said, somewhat braggingly.

Peter was finally catching his breath, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. If something had happened to Olivia or the baby, he would have definitely felt at fault. 'Well, it's nice to meet you, but you almost gave me a heart attack.'

'Sorry.' Tiffany said with an apologetic smile. 'But, I knew that nobody would believe me if I told them who I was.'

Abby glanced over Tiffany once more, her nose slightly crinkling when she noticed her shirt had Olivia's face all over it. 'Gee, I wonder why.'

Olivia ignored Abby's little comment. 'We're about to go have lunch with my publisher, Tiff. I think Fitz and Teddy should be back at my apartment by now.'

Her face lit up. 'Can I go with you?'

'No.' Abby answered with no hesitation.

Olivia shot Abby a look before turning back to Tiffany. 'It's going to be boring. We're just going to be discussing a few business matters.'

'That doesn't sound boring to me.' she shook her head.

She sighed, but smiled. 'You can come, but no outbursts. There's probably going to be a few famous people there, so I need you to be cool and quiet.'

'Cool and quiet are my middle names.' she grinned, although anyone who knew Tiffany knew that she had never been cool nor quiet a day in her life.

Abby rolled her eyes, but went to call the restaurant to tell them that they'd be bringing one more guest along. Olivia knew that it was going to be almost impossible for Tiffany to hold herself completely together, but she liked the idea of incorporating Fitz's family into her life. It seemed like they were all going to be stuck together for a while, so they needed to make the best of it.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Yes, I know it's been a while. I'll go ahead and get my apologies out now. I'm sorry. My bad. But, I'm here now. This chapter was long, and I had to cut it in half. The next portion focuses on the award's show, and then we're heading back to Knights Ferry. We're going to find out the gender of the baby, and have some discussions about where the couple will be staying. Will Fitz sell the farm, or will they just make it work? Tell me what you think!_**

 ** _Next is the Gray Area. I know a lot of people have been waiting for that update, so I'm going to throw all my time into it. Until next time!_**


	24. The Book Keeper Awards

**NSFW**

* * *

After having lunch with Cyrus, the ladies went straight back to Olivia's apartment so that she'd have time to take a quick nap. Just as Dr. Fulton had suggested, Abby had stopped to get a blood pressure cuff so that she could monitor her levels. She tried to persuade Olivia to use it before they made it home, but she refused. She had other things on her mind, so the last thing she wanted to see were numbers that were too high.

Just as promised, Tiffany had been on her best behavior during lunch. The whole thing was pretty boring, so she opted to blog about her day instead of really paying attention to the conversation. All of her followers were super excited to see more pictures of her and Olivia together, so she was sure to include a few more. They dropped her off at the hotel with Big Gerry and Angela so that she could start getting ready for the ceremony that night.

Olivia kicked her shoes off then went straight into the bedroom so that she could get out of her dress. Fitz had been laying in bed waiting on her. Showing his parents around the town had been a very tiring experience so he was ready to take a nap, but he also wanted to make sure that Olivia made it back safely. They had 2 hours before her hair and makeup team arrived, and he knew that they'd need some rest.

'Hey there.' he smiled as she walked in, his whole body perking up. It had only been a few hours, but he missed her. He _always_ did.

'Hey.' she smiled back as she started pulling her dress over her head. It was pretty loose fitting, so it didn't require much work. Olivia immediately threw it off into the hamper, leaving her only in a pair of panties.

Fitz licked his lips as his eyes raked over her body, but he tried to keep himself under control. It was pretty hard, though, when her breasts were lightly bouncing as she moved around the room. The panties she had on weren't even particularly sexy, but that didn't deter him from wanting to pull them off. He had been thinking about her chest since earlier that day at the doctor's office.

'How was the city?' she asked, not even noticing how he was watching her. 'Did your parents enjoy everything?'

'They did.' he nodded. Fitz was already only in a pair of boxers, but he began to discreetly pull them down his thighs.

Olivia walked over to her vanity to grab a ponytail holder so that she could push her hair up. 'That's good. What'd you guys do?'

'A bunch of stuff.' he replied, now staring directly at her ass. 'Mom wanted another piece of cheesecake, so we went back by the restaurant before I dropped them off.'

'Did you get me a piece?' she asked hopefully.

'No.' Fitz shook his head. 'The doctor just said this morning that you need to be eating healthy foods. I don't think that another piece of cheesecake falls into that category.'

Olivia sighed but couldn't help but to agree with him. She'd never say that out loud, though. Fitz laid down on his side and pushed the covers back and held his arm up for her, inviting her to come and snuggle into his chest. She scoffed at the goofy looking smirk on his face.

'What makes you think that I want to cuddle with you right now? I'm mad at you.' she huffed as she glanced over his bare chest and down towards the rest of his body.

She was expecting a pair of boxers, but her eyes widened when she looked over his half erect penis instead. She was supposed to be mad about the cheesecake, but she had forgotten all about it now. It never ceased to amaze her at how fast she could get distracted if Fitz being naked was involved.

'Well, we don't have to cuddle if you don't want to.' his wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

'I'm mad at you.' she repeated before stretching her back and laying down beside him. Olivia turned her back to him but pushed his arm off when he tried to wrap it around her. 'Don't touch me, Fitzgerald.'

Fitz burst into laughter before turning over and shutting the lamp off on his side and leaving the room in darkness. He had already shut the curtains, so the sun could only fade in through the dark fabric. He came right up behind her, careful not to touch any part of her body. He knew that she'd give in way before he did, so it was comical to see her try to play hard to get.

5 minutes later, just as Fitz predicted, Olivia started to slowly inch her body closer to his. She moved slowly until her back was pressed against his chest and her behind was wedged against his crotch. He chuckled lowly as he eased closer to her and wrapped his arm around her petite waist.

'I thought you said you didn't want me to touch you.' he whispered in her ear before placing a small kiss on her neck.

'You can touch me but only a little.' she said as if it was some type of great compromise.

'Oh, really?' his eyebrows quirked. Fitz's hand began to roam until he found her chest. He was careful as he squeezed down on her breasts, softly tugging on the bars dissecting her nipples. He knew how sensitive the area had been, and he didn't want to hurt her. 'Can I touch you here?'

'Mmhhmm.' she hummed lightly. Olivia shut her eyes and squeezed her thighs together as she started to feel a familiar tingle between them. She moaned softly as Fitz began laying kisses up the column of her neck and lightly sucking on all the spots that he knew would drive her wild.

'Where else can I touch you, pretty girl?' he lowly murmured against her skin.

Olivia took hold of his hand and gently guided it down to her womanhood as she parted her legs. She was still in her panties so she pushed his fingers down to the damp portion of the material.

Fitz slid his thick digits in between her parted thighs and cupped her pussy. He lightly massaged it and grinned as her body shivered.

'Are you wet for me, Livvie?' he murmured lowly. Fitz's fingers traveled into the waistband of her underwear, and he caressed her flesh. He could feel his cock begin to harden as he separated her lips. 'Talk to me, pretty girl.'

'I want you.' she whined, not wanting to be teased.

'How do you want me?' Fitz started to push her panties down, now feeling like they were in the way.

'On top.' she responded as she pushed the skimpy fabric down using her feet and slowly rolled over on her back.

This had always been her favorite position to do with Fitz when they were making love. There were times when she preferred to be bent over or up against the wall or even in the shower, but today she just wanted them to take their time. It was something about being about to kiss and look each other in the eyes that she found extremely intimate.

She smiled up at Fitz as he sat up on his knees in the bed and worked to push the covers back. Olivia watched as his erect penis sprung from under the sheets and pressed against his lower abdomen. He worked his hand over his cock a few times as he looked over her body.

Fitz placed his hands on both of her knees and parted her legs. Olivia bit down on her bottom lip as held out her arms for him to join her on the bed. He laid down on top of her, using his elbows to hover a bit to avoid squishing her. Now that she was pregnant, neither of them had to worry about using a condom and he loved that. He much preferred the feel of her slick walls gripping his manhood.

Olivia's hands began to explore all over his body as he started kissing her neck. His cock was pressed right at her entrance as his precum started to mix in her fluids, causing a mess on the sheets below them. Olivia wrapped her legs around his hips and began to grind her pussy on him, hoping that he would slide in.

Her hands wandered into the curls at the nape of his neck. Olivia used her pointer finger and thumb to grab the helix of his ear and lightly pull on it. Fitz immediately snarled and sunk his teeth into her shoulder. She knew that that was his weak spot, and she enjoyed exploiting it at almost every opportunity she got.

'Fuck me. Fuck me.' she whispered breathily into his ear.

Fitz reached down into between their bodies and grabbed the base of his dick. He slid his tip up and down her wet slit, teasing them further. Olivia cried out, her body arching until it rose off of the bed. She could feel her walls clenching, craving to feel his connection.

'Please.' Olivia nearly sobbed.

With that, he finally started to slide inside of her. Her jaw dropped and she choked on air as he filled her to her brim. Before he could slide out, Olivia reached down and grabbed his butt, digging her nails into his flesh of his right cheek.

'Not yet.' she shook her head desperately.

He grunted lowly as he tried to pull out of the vice grip her pussy had on him. 'I have to move, Livvie.'

Olivia shook her head once more. 'Not yet, not yet.' she repeated.

Fitz began to roll his hips side to side. She kissed him in any place that her lips could reach, going up and down the side of his cheek and temple. As soon as she started to let him go, he pulled out the way out, then snapped his hips back into place. Olivia screamed loudly, her stomach trembling from the building pressure.

Olivia met him thrust for thrust, even as he started to go faster. Her perfectly manicured nails were causing scratches all over his backside, but he didn't even seem to notice. The sounds of their animalistic like grunts and growls took over, and they were both glad that Teddy had gone to stay with Big Gerry and Angela for a while.

The two of them made love until it was almost time for Olivia's team to show up. Both of their bodies were spent, but they still got up so that they could take a shower. Despite telling Fitz that they needed to get ready so that they wouldn't run late, he immediately dropped to his knees and parted her legs. She didn't put up much of a fight, though, as his tongue started to circle her clit.

* * *

By the time they heard someone knocking on the door, she had just started drying off. She hated that she didn't get to take a nap, but it was worth it. Abby could tell by the huge grin on her face that she had been thoroughly fucked, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she led the rest of the 'glamsquad' into the living room so that they could set up.

The peace and serenity that was once over the apartment was long gone. Fitz never thought that it would take so many people just to get one person ready for an awards show, but Olivia had a whole dedicated team.

There were 5 stylists that had set up shop in the living room, and they were all moving around each other like one well oiled machine. Olivia was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, while they all took turns with her. Fitz tried to stand close to see what was going on, but he ended up just being more in the way.

Abby had Olivia's phone and was walking around the room so that she could take pictures to share with the fans on her social media. The Book Keeper Awards definitely weren't as popular as the Oscars or Grammys, but Olivia had a loyal fanbase that was sure to tune into the live stream once it began.

Teddy got a taxi back to Olivia's place. The original plan was for him to just ride with his parents, but he wanted Abby to see him in his tuxedo before they left. He was nervously adjusting his tie as he watched Abby do her job. He turned to Fitz as he fixed his boutonniere. 'Do you think she's seen me?'

Fitz raised his eyebrows. 'Who?'

'Abby.' he murmured lowly and gesture to her.

'Oh.' his nose crinkled. 'I doubt it. She seems to really be concentrating on her job.'

'Maybe if I ask to take a picture with her, she'll notice me.' he stood to his feet and began to fish his phone out of his pocket.

Fitz shook his head. 'She's busy, Ted. Just wait until she gets a moment to breathe, then try and talk to her.'

He sighed. 'I guess you're right. We have all night.'

One of the men that came had brought a whole suitcase full of accessories with him. He miraculously found enough floor space to sit it down and open it up, revealing what seemed to be dozens of compartments. Each one was filled with different types of necklaces and bracelets with jewels and diamonds, and he began to inspect each one individually.

Olivia usually followed the style advice of her team, but they always gave her options. They wanted to be sure that she was happy and comfortable in whatever garment that she'd be in. He walked over so that she could see him, and held up two different sets.

'These are my recommendations for tonight. I think they'd both go well.' he suggested. 'Which one would you prefer, darling?'

One of the makeup artists was working on her eyeliner, but she peeked down long enough to get a good look. Olivia couldn't really move much as she wanted to, but she gestured to the gold set. They were simple gold chains, but with small, vibrant red roses linked together. The man nodded his head and smiled, happy that she went with his top pick for the look.

He made room amongst the others to put her necklace on and made sure to secure it tightly. Next, he reached for her wrist so that he could do the same with the bracelet. His nose slightly crinkled when he saw Doux Bebe on her ring finger.

'This piece is beautiful, but it doesn't match anything you have on. The ensemble just doesn't fit.' he took hold of her finger. 'I don't think it's a good choice for the night.'

Olivia immediately took her hand back, growing a bit defensive. Just as she had promised Angela and Fitz, she hadn't taken it off once since he had given it to her, and she certainly didn't plan to tonight. 'Not this. This one isn't up for debate. I'm wearing it.'

He sighed at her fashion decision, but knew better than to put up a fight over it. Olivia could be pretty strong willed, and he knew that he needed to pick his battles with her. Instead of dwelling on it, he put her bracelet on her and then went to find the matching earrings.

Fitz had heard their exchange, and he couldn't help the huge grin that formed on his face. He loved the fact that she'd be wearing her ring for everyone to see. Olivia didn't want to treat it like some type of costume piece to be taken on and off, and tonight would be no different.

As the hairstylists finally finished, Olivia stood up from her seat. She was already in her dress, but they had draped a few towels around her shoulders to keep it protected. Abby assisted as they started to remove the layers, and another grin formed on Fitz's face.

She looked absolutely stunning. Olivia always looked great in his eyes, but tonight was different. He wasn't sure if it was the baby, the makeup, or the excitement of the award, but she was glowing radiantly. She was wearing a red gown that flared out near the waist to help camouflage her baby bump, and the neckline plunged. The material ended below her feet, which meant that she could ditch her heels and wear a pair of flats instead.

'Wow.' he murmured as he looked her up and down.

'Wow?' Olivia smirked and did a twirl so that he could see the whole outfit. Her shoulders and neck were fully exposed, but the team worked hard on concealing the bite marks Fitz left behind earlier that evening. 'I've been sitting in that chair for an hour and a half. Is that all you can say?'

'Absolutely.' he nodded and stepped closer to her. 'I'm speechless.'

' _Awww_.' the stylists all said in unison.

Olivia and Fitz seemed to have tuned everybody else in the room out as they shared their moment. He reached out and took both of her hands in his, still grinning ear to ear. Abby had been watching from afar, but she quickly got her phone out and snapped a few photos of them together. She wouldn't be posting them publicly, but they'd be nice to have for later.

Teddy lightly tapped her shoulder, bringing her out of her train of thought. He smiled as brightly as possible, hoping that she'd notice him. 'You look great, Abby. I really like your outfit.'

Abby had to keep herself from smirking. She nodded her head. 'Thank you, Teddy. You also look very nice in your tux.'

His entire face lit up and it was impossible to hide. He honestly didn't think he'd get this far, so he had no clue how to take the conversation any further. Before he could think of anything, though, Abby's phone began to ring. The car she ordered was about to pull up outside, so they needed to get ready to leave.

'It's almost showtime, people. Let's get out of here.' she clapped her hands together a few times to imply urgency.

Teddy cleared his throat. 'You heard her. Pack it up, everyone!.' he said in the deepest voice that he could muster.

Fitz chuckled lowly and leaned forward to press his forehead against Olivia's. He spoke lowly so that only she could hear what was said. 'How long do you think Abby is going to last before she wants to kill Teddy?'

Olivia giggled softly in return. 'I'll give her until the end of the night. She may not kill him, but I'm pretty sure she'll try to strangle him.'

They both laughed lowly, clearly content in staying their own little world. Abby rolled her eyes and pushed their foreheads apart and began to slightly adjust Olivia's hair. 'Can you two do this later?'

Anybody else probably would have been annoyed at their manager being so bossy, but Olivia didn't mind. She understood all the pressure that Abby was under. Most celebrities had multiple people in their entourage to take care of their needs, but Abby was by herself doing it all. She had been very stressed about things being perfect for tonight, and she didn't want anything to go wrong.

'Yes ma'am.' Olivia answered somewhat sarcastically.

'Ha, ha.' Abby rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag off of the couch. 'Do you need anything before we go, Liv? I have some saltine crackers if you're feeling nauseous. I also grabbed a battery powered fan, just in case you get hot. And—'

Olivia placed her hands on Abby's shoulders. 'Breathe, Abigail. I'm fine.'

Abby took a short breath in, and then out, then nodded her head. She headed towards the front door and opened it. 'It's time to go. Let's file out.'

She chuckled and shook her head. She knew that it was no way to get her to relax at his point. Teddy immediately walked out the front door, eager to follow her instructions, but Fitz and Olivia lagged behind.

'I don't think I want an assistant anymore.' he whispered to Olivia. 'She may bite my head off.'

Olivia nearly snorted. 'She's just on edge. It'll all be worth it once we see the final product.'

Instead of sending a normal vehicle, the car service gifted them the use of a limousine for the evening. It was their own personal way of congratulating Olivia for her award, and ensuring that she and Abby would continue to be loyal customers. The driver was already parked near the front door, and he immediately got out to let them inside.

Because of the size of Olivia's dress, she had to hold it at the bottom to make sure that it didn't scrub against the ground. Fitz simply watched on proudly as she gracefully stepped out of the building and headed towards the car. She looked like a princess walking amongst men, but he knew his opinion was a bit biased.

There was full bottle service for the duration of the ride, but nobody drank anything. Olivia, of course, had to abstain from any alcohol, and Fitz and Abby figured that it wouldn't be fair to drink without her. Teddy was a bit tempted to try something, but he knew better. Fitz would surely make a comment about it, and he didn't want be called by his older brother in front of the woman that he was trying to pursue.

When they arrived at the venue, there were plenty of paparazzi waiting outside to grab pictures. Instead of having a traditional 'red carpet', the long press walk had white carpets and a floral backdrop with thick vines and roses. The flashing cameras were enough to overwhelm both Fitz and Teddy, but Olivia and Abby seemed to be in their element. The driver stopped the car and got out to open their door.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at Fitz, knowing that the cameras made him uncomfortable. 'Just stay close.'

He cut his eyes to try and protect them from the blaring light. 'I'll try.'

Abby checked her watch and sucked her teeth. They were only running 2 minutes behind, but it annoyed her nonetheless. 'Olivia, you go out first. Talk to a few reporters, and take a few pictures while I make sure that our tables are ready.'

Teddy's nose scrunched up as he saw the group of people begin to surround the car, awaiting Olivia's appearance. 'Can I go with you, Abby? This doesn't really seem like my scene.'

She sighed but nodded her head. Abby wasn't used to having anyone tagalong with her for these types of events, so she just prayed that he wouldn't hold her back. 'You can, but you're going to have to keep up. Things are about to start moving fast.'

'Gotcha!' he grinned and nodded his head, although staying close to her was what he wanted to do anyway. It wouldn't be much of a challenge.

The driver finally opened the door, and suddenly people were calling Olivia's name. He used his arm to make enough space for her to get out, and she stepped onto the carpet. Fitz followed right behind her, trying to stay as close as possible. It amazed him that she could so effortlessly handle huge crowds like these.

There were a few other authors there who had been nominated for awards and Olivia knew a few of their faces. Usually Abby would give her a crash course on names and faces and their published works, but they hadn't had time to go over anything. She was a bit flustered, knowing that people were going to start coming up and greeting her, but she had no clue who they were.

Award shows weren't necessarily her favorite thing to do. She would have skipped the process completely if it hadn't been for Fitz. When he found out that she'd be receiving an award, he was over the moon about it. Olivia was happy upon receiving the announcement, but she had all intentions on just sending Abby to get her trophy and then mail it to her or just put it on the shelf with her other awards.

But, despite her apprehensions, she managed to work the crowd pretty well. Fitz was close enough to almost trip on the back of her dress, but he was careful not to ruin anything. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself, or her, in front of all of these cameras. He couldn't help but feel proud, though, as everyone's attention fell directly on her. Even the roses on the backdrop seemed to match her attire perfectly. She definitely looked as if belonged there.

There were circles on the ground indicating places for people to stop and take photos. Olivia halted her steps about halfway down the walk, then took hold of Fitz's hand. She tilted her neck to gesture towards the camera, and he seemed to have gotten the picture. He wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled the best he could.

 _'Olivia! Olivia! Turn to the side!'_

 _'Olivia! Who are you wearing?'_

 _'Over here, Olivia!'_

After a few shots of them together, people starting requesting photos of Olivia by herself. Fitz was about to back away, but she took hold of his hand and murmured softly. 'You don't have to go anywhere.'

'This is your moment, Olivia.' he lightly kissed her temple, not caring about the flashing cameras. Fitz released her fingers and took a few steps back so that she could have her time alone.

In the past Olivia would have turned her nose up at this type of PDA, but she enjoyed it with Fitz. She chortled and blew him a kiss to show off for the cameras, then turned her attention back to the photographers. She was careful not to take too many shots from the side, trying her best to keep her ever growing belly out of view.

Fitz took his own phone out of his pocket to snap a few photos of her. He knew he'd have plenty of options for his new screensaver by the time the night was over and done. Before long, though, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He immediately turned around and was greeted by a short woman wearing a press badge. She had on a thick pair of glasses, and a frumpy looking top with flared jeans. 'Excuse me, but can you answer a few short questions?'

'Ummm..' he hummed, his eyebrows furrowing. He didn't think anyone would be paying much attention to him, so he definitely wasn't prepared for his. 'I'm not sure, actually.'

She chuckled. 'It won't be anything sinister. I promise. This is pretty standard procedure.'

'So I guess you can tell that I'm new at this.' he said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Olivia hadn't gone anywhere.

'First timers are usually pretty easy to spot.' she smiled warmly, knowing that she was reeling him in. 'What's your name?'

'Fitzgerald Grant.' he answered, feeling a bit more easy about the process.

'Nice.' she smiled and nodded, holding her phone closer to his face so that she could record what was said. 'And I see that you're here with Olivia Pope. Is it safe to say that you're an item?'

Fitz was a bit hesitant at first. While their relationship wasn't a secret, he knew that Olivia liked to keep her relationships private. He chose his words carefully before speaking. 'We are definitely an item. She is my girlfriend.'

'Oooo.' she grinned widely, causing Fitz to nervously laugh. 'We haven't seen her with anyone on her arm in a very long time. How does it feel to be dating the most groundbreaking fiction author of our generation?'

'Amazing. Surreal.' he answered immediately. 'I'm so very proud of her and her accomplishments. I couldn't have asked for a better person in my life. I'm very privileged to have her.'

'That was a very sweet thing to say.' she reached out and touched his arm in the hopes of getting him to warm up a bit. 'Do you read her work, or do you simply support?'

'I have read every single one of Olivia's books at least twice.' he answered proudly. 'They're wonderful, actually.'

'I'll be sure to put you down as a super fan.' she smirked. 'Does she let you read any spoilers ahead of time, or does she leave you in the dark like the rest of us?'

'Oh, no.' he shook his head. 'Sometimes she'll give me a word or two, but she's extremely secretive about her work. Olivia won't allow anyone to see what she has done until she's satisfied with it. She's truly a perfectionist.'

Fitz didn't want to mention that he had seen at least 10,000 words of the new book, because he had helped her write it. Olivia's writer's block had really been getting to her, and he volunteered to do whatever she needed. That part wasn't important to him, though. He liked helping her. He didn't want to say it and diminish any of the hard work she had already accomplished.

'And what would you do if she decided to stop writing? Would you support her other career endeavors?'

'Absolutely not. I'd have to break up with her if she stopped writing.' he joked then bellowed out a laugh. 'But, seriously, I'd follow Olivia to the ends of the earth and back. She can move to Antartica, and I'll go as long as she allows me to.'

'Awww.' she smiled. 'Some people even call her the black J.K. Rowling. Those are big shoes to fill and—'

'Well, I don't agree with that.' he immediately shook his head, not allowing her to finish her sentence. 'She isn't the black anyone, except the black Olivia Pope. She shouldn't be compared to anyone else, and to do so would be condescending.'

The woman seemed a bit taken aback by his answer, but simply nodded her head. She wasn't expecting him to be this passionate on the subject matter, but she knew she didn't to reel things end. The last thing she wanted was for Fitz to get upset and end the interview. She had a feeling she could get a few more good comments out of him.

'Alright, we'll move on.' she cleared her throat.

Before she could get another question out, they heard Olivia start to call his name. She had gotten tired of taking photos, and it was pretty warm standing under all those bright lights. The last thing she wanted was something to trigger a hot flash, so she knew that they needed to head inside. She held her hand out to him, lightly flexing her fingers to beckon him along.

'Do you think you can get Olivia over here? Maybe you guys can answer some questions together.' she waved at her in hopes of getting her closer.

Fitz shook his head and then reached to shake her hand. 'I'm going to have to decline. Tonight is about her, and I think she's ready to go.'

She shook Fitz's hand and tried to persuade him to stay a bit longer to answer a few more questions, but he was already walking away. She cut her eyes at him as she turned her recording off, but she knew she had more than enough for a good story.

'I was gone for three minutes and now you're famous.' she teased, intertwining their fingers. Olivia was more than ready to sit down, so she just waved at a few people as they passed, but didn't stop.

His face turned a bit red from embarrassment. 'She wanted to interview me. I wished she had asked me where I got my tuxedo from. I wanted to show it off.'

'Aw, poor baby.' she murmured in a sympathetic tone, although she was obviously making fun of him.

'I hope I said the right things.' Fitz mused. 'She seemed very excited about talking to me. Maybe she'll actually put me in an article.'

'Did you admit to murdering anyone or hiding a body?' she asked, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye.

'No.' his head shook.

'Well, then you couldn't have said anything too bad.' she shrugged her shoulders.

If Olivia was being completely honest, she didn't even think the woman would think twice about Fitz. There were plenty of other interesting people in attendance to chat with tonight, so she doubted that he'd make the cut. She wouldn't say it directly to him, though, because he seemed pretty confident about the interview. She was really just glad he seemed to have eased up a bit around the crowd.

Although Abby had already alerted the people in charge that Olivia had arrived, she had their official passes in her clutch bag. There was a bit of a line to get to the main security guard at the front, so they waited patiently. Everyone knew that she would be receiving the Book of the Year Award, so people were congratulating her as they passed.

' _Olivia Pope! Olivia Pope!_ ' they heard from a distance.

There were no more photographers allowed past that point, so they were both confused as to who could be calling her name. It was a man near the end of the line, but he managed to make his way through the waiting people to get to them.

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed and he leaned into her so that he could whisper. 'Do you know this man?'

Olivia gave him a wave and pretended to smile at him, but she knew that it wasn't anybody that she knew. It wasn't until he got close to them that she recognized him as the man from the bookstore. 'I think he's just a fan.' she whispered back to Fitz.

The guy had the biggest smile as he approached them, cutting in front of other people in the line. His black hair was slicked back, and he was obviously wearing way too much cologne. Olivia nearly gagged as he approached, his strong scent proving to be way too much for her already weak stomach. Fitz saw the reaction she was having, and he tried his best to stand in front of her and shield her away.

'Fancy seeing you here, Olivia.' he teased, obviously not noticing how sick he was making her.

'It's nice to see you, too.' she said, trying to casually cover her nose as she spoke.

Fitz took a step in between them, but simply smiled and held his hand out for him to shake. 'My name is Fitzgerald Grant. I'm Olivia's boyfriend.'

The man looked in between them, and then shook Fitz's hand. 'Wow. You're one lucky guy. Olivia is the person who inspired me to start writing. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for her.'

'Wow. That's amazing, actually.' Fitz commented. He was happy that his Livvie could inspire so many others to follow their dreams, but he knew they needed to get away from this guy. He could see the line start to move up a bit, so they moved with it.

'Oh, Olivia, did you get all the packages I sent you?' he asked, now ignoring Fitz.

Olivia choked a bit and her eyes began to water. She simply nodded her head, although it was a lie. She hadn't received any packages at all since she had been in Knights Ferry. Abby had stacks of fan mail that they needed to sort through, but she hadn't gotten around to it.

'I wanted to know what you thought about chapter one in my new book.' he continued. 'I was hoping you'd maybe give me some pointers.'

Fitz cleared his throat to catch his attention, hoping that he'd leave Olivia alone. 'How did you say you met Olivia again?'

'Oh, um, Olivia hasn't told you? I'm surprised you haven't heard of me.' he said, somewhat smugly.

'I'm sure she has, but can you just refresh the story?' Fitz asked, praying that the line would go a bit faster.

The man turned his attention to Olivia, who was obviously becoming very flustered. 'I'm sorry, but I just don't remember right now.'

He immediately frowned, his face nearly shattering with disappointment. 'You don't remember? It's me, Quincy Philips. We met at a meet and greet back in 2014 and you signed my books. You said you saw potential in my writing.'

Olivia turned her back to the both of them as the scent really got to be too much. She didn't mean to be rude, but she also didn't want to throw up all over the floor and the people around her. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight it for much longer, so she immediately began to fight her way through the guests in front of her.

A few people gave her some dirty looks, but nobody really objected as she cut in line. She threw her ticket on the security desk and went straight inside the building. Security protocol was to stop anyone who hadn't been scanned in, but the man at the desk recognized her face. And besides that, she seemed to be in a big hurry.

Fitz watched on in horror and knew he needed to follow after her. He turned to Quincy who was standing there completely stunned. He gave him an apologetic look. 'Sorry about that. I think her nerves are getting the best of her.'

He stood there in silence for a moment. 'Olivia Pope is my idol. I did all of this because she said she believed in me. She didn't even remember my name.'

'I'm sure she does. It's just been a long night.' Fitz excused. Olivia would never purposefully offend anyone, especially not a fan, so he was sure this was just a mistake.

Fitz knew he was needed elsewhere so instead of sticking around to comfort the obviously distraught young man, he also began to break through the line. People were much more forgiving to Olivia, but he still managed to get to the front. After explaining to the security guard that he was with Olivia Pope, the man let him straight through.

There were people already starting to crowd around in the lobby area, and Fitz couldn't find her. He figured that she has escaped to a bathroom, but he wasn't exactly sure where they were. After asking around for a few minutes, one of the staff members pointed him in the right direction.

By the time he made it to the women's restroom, Olivia was already walking out. Her eyes were a bit watery and her lipstick was smudged, but she looked fine other than that. Fitz immediately got his handkerchief out of his breast pocket and handed it over to her.

'Are you okay?' he asked, although he realized that it was a bit of a dumb question.

'I'm fine.' she sighed and nodded her head, dabbing the corners of her mouth. 'Do I look okay? Do you see anything on me?'

Fitz looked her over and then shook his head. 'You look perfect. Absolutely perfect.'

She chuckled humorlessly. 'I don't feel perfect. I feel gross.'

'You feel gross, and I look gross. We make a great team.' he grinned and reached out to take her hand.

'You're an idiot.' she smirked.

'You have a little lipstick on your chin.' he pointed out.

Olivia reached inside of her clutch and pulled out her compact mirror. Fitz held it in his hand so that she could see herself while she reapplied her makeup. There was mouthwash provided inside of the bathroom, so she had already swished some around in her mouth. While getting sick definitely wasn't ideal, she was just glad she hadn't ruined her outfit.

'That guy seemed pretty upset back there.' Fitz mentioned as he watched her complete the final touches on her face.

'I still have no clue who he is.' she shrugged her shoulders then grabbed the compact from his hands and put it away. 'I'm at fan meet and greets all the time. On any given tour, I could meet thousands of people. It's impossible to remember everyone.'

'Well, he'll get over it.' Fitz mused. 'Plus, you must have done something right. He's here at the awards show, so obviously he took your advice and started writing.'

'I'll have to ask Abby to look him up. Maybe I can send him a nice gift or something. I feel a little bad for just running off on him like that.'

Fitz put his hand on the small of her back as they walked, keeping her close as they headed towards the main room. 'You have nothing to feel bad about. You couldn't help that you got sick. He was wearing way too much cologne, anyway.'

They both shared a laugh as they headed towards their table. Some people were already starting to take their seats, but they still had a while before the ceremony actually began. The lights were still bright, and there were crew members running around the perimeters to finish last minute tasks. Abby was sure to get them a table towards the front so that she wouldn't have to walk as far when it was time to accept her award. There was some light jazz music playing in the background, but it was almost impossible to hear over the chattering people.

They fought through the small crowds of people to get towards the front. Most of Olivia's guests had already arrived and were sitting in their assigned chairs. Fitz knew that he'd be meeting some new people tonight, so he tried his best to remember the rundown that she had given him about her friends and family. Her parents and siblings were all at a table together and were mingling amongst one another.

Eli was dressed in his favorite tuxedo, and Maya wore a very simple black gown. Fitz had never seen a picture of her sisters and brothers, so he had to keep himself from staring. Olivia usually preferred not to talk with him about her family, so he didn't know much about them. All he knew was that she was the youngest of 5, and she didn't really get along with them.

Fitz gently grabbed her arm before they walked over to where their table. 'Don't you want to see everyone else first? I don't want your parents to ruin your evening.'

Olivia placed her hand on top of his. 'They'll be on their best behavior tonight. They love these big award shows.'

While her parents hated her career choice, they loved to reap the benefits of her hard work. They never missed an opportunity dress up in nice clothes and smile brightly for the cameras. He sighed but nodded his head, and released her arm. Fitz had no interest in entertaining Maya or Eli tonight, but he'd play nice for her. If they said something to upset her, though, all bets were off.

'Hello, everyone.' Olivia greeted.

Much to Fitz's surprise, Eli and Maya actually stood to greet their daughter. They both wrapped her in a hug and kissed her cheeks.

'We were wondering when you'd arrive.' Maya cooed, although they had scolded her the night before for running late. Fitz almost didn't believe that these were the same people from the night before.

'My hair and makeup took a bit longer than expected.' she responded, clearly not surprised by their cheery demeanor. She was completely used to this hot and cold treatment.

'Well, we're just glad you're here now.' Eli gently patted her shoulder.

Fitz cleared his throat a bit and all eyes were on him. Up until now, Maya and Eli were purposefully ignoring him. Despite the fact that they were playing nice for the crowds, they had no interest in him. They still thought that Olivia picked a horrible partner, and had made a huge mistake by getting pregnant by him.

Eli cut his eyes at Fitz, their argument from the previous night still fresh on his mind. 'It's nice to see you as well, Mr. Grant.'

Olivia could see things growing tense between the men, and knew that she needed to break it up. She grabbed hold of Fitz's hand and then gestured to the table where her siblings were sitting.

'Everyone, this is my boyfriend Fitzgerald Grant. He—'

'The farmhand that got you pregnant.' her sister Hillary interrupted before she could finish. 'Father has already told us.'

Olivia took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. She ignored her sister's comment, then turned back to Fitz. 'Fitz, these are my siblings Peter, Joshua, Hillary, and Kimberly.'

Fitz lightly patted her hand, his way of showing her that he was okay and could hold his own. 'Well, it's very nice to meet all of you. Olivia hasn't said much about you, but I'm sure that we'll all be getting to know each other very soon.'

Kimberly scoffed and sipped her champagne before looking away. Olivia kept her smile on her face, though, and took hold of Fitz's hand once more. 'We're just going to take our seats now. I'm sure the host will be out soon so we can get things started up.'

Maya took her seat next to Kimberly and nodded her head. 'Alright. Can't wait to see you up on stage.'

'Thank you.' she smiled at her before leading Fitz away towards the table they'd be sitting at.

'Was it just me, or were your parents actually being pleasant?' he asked, his eyebrows quirked.

Olivia laughed. 'I told you they'd be much better today. Bad behavior is bad for optics.'

They made their way to their own table which was just a bit closer to the stage. Abby had already let the award show coordinators know that they needed premium seating this year. She didn't want Olivia to have to walk so far just to receive her award.

Abby and Teddy still hadn't made it, but Olivia's other friends were all in attendance. Harrison, Quinn, and Elizabeth had been there for about an hour, just waiting on her to arrive. They were all very excited to finally meet Fitz and put a face to a name. They had seen him in a few photos before, but it was nice to actually see him in person.

Fitz watched as Olivia immediately lit up once she greeted her friends. It was nothing like the smile she had on her face when she saw her family. The expression was tense and forced, and it was obvious that she was uncomfortable. But, when Harrison hopped up to give her a huge bear hug, she looked as if she was amongst her real family.

Quinn and Elizabeth were right behind him, the 4 of them sharing a long group hug. Fitz almost felt out of place watching them, but he let them have their moment. He knew she didn't get a chance to see them often, so he was glad they were having a nice reunion.

Olivia finally pried herself out of their embrace long enough to catch her breath. She readjusted her dress to her liking before reaching back to reach Fitz's hand. He immediately took it and intertwined their fingers, taking a step forward.

'Everybody, this is my boyfriend Fitz.' Olivia said with a huge smile. 'Fitz, this is Quinn, Elizabeth, and Harrison.'

Fitz immediately recognized them from some of the photos that Olivia had in her small cottage. He reached out to shake Harrison's hand. 'It's so good to meet all of you. Livvie speaks very highly of you all.'

Quinn's eyebrows immediately raised and she playfully nudged Olivia. '" _Livvie_ "? I didnt know it was "Livvie" now.'

If Olivia had been just a few shades brighter, her cheeks would've turn bright red. She pinched Quinn's arm. 'Shut it, Quinn.'

Harrison eyed Fitz critically. It wasnt that he didnt like Fitz, but he was very protective over Olivia. For years they had been the only family she ever had. She was more like a sister than anything.

'Liv's been telling us good things about you, too.' he mumbled softly. 'I hope you're able to live up to the hype.'

Olivia's eyes rolled, but she understood Harrison's concerns. She hadnt always been the best at picking out boyfriends, and she had been through multiple really hard breakups in the past few years. But, Fitz was different. She knew he was. Everybody else just needed to realize it.

Elizabeth took hold of Olivia's arm and started to lead her towards the table. 'Come sit, Liv. You're not supposed to be on your feet for a long time.'

'Thanks, Lizzie.' she smiled and started walking towards her chair. Her's was a bit different from the other ones surrounding the table. Per Abby's request, the coordinators had placed a cushion on top for some extra softness. They were going to be sitting in the same spot for hours, so she wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

Fitz quickly released Harrison's hand, making long strides to reach the chair first. He pulled her seat out for her and then gently pushed it under the table.

'Wow.' Quinn chuckled and turned to Harrison. 'And he's a gentleman.'

Harrison sucked his teeth, although he was fighting back a smile. It made him feel good to see that Olivia finally had somebody in her life that was treating her with respect. He wouldnt show that just yet, though.

'Anybody can pull a seat out.' he said dismissively.

Quinn laughed at her stubborn friend and then went to take her seat. Abby and Teddy joined them shortly after, although she wasnt really paying attention to anyone at the table. She was way too busy trying to micromanage the situations around her, and Teddy was simply hanging on to her every word.

Fitz took the seat to Olivia's left, and Abby took the one on her right. The food was supposed to be served at 7pm, and by 7:05 they still hadnt even seen any of the waiting staff. Olivia could tell her friends were growing frustrated with the situation.

Olivia placed her hand gently on Abby's knee. 'It's no need to get upset, everyone. I'm sure they're just running behind. It's going to be okay.'

'No, it's not.' Abby shook her head. 'They said we would have been served by now. I told them that you have to eat by 7pm.' she said pointedly.

Harrison cut his eyes as well. 'Liv, you're pregnant. You have to eat on a certain schedule. They should be catering to your needs.'

Fitz wanted to mention that Olivia hadnt been on an eating schedule at all and had basically just been gorging herself on junk food since the beginnging of her pregnancy, but now didnt seem like the time. He did, however, feel good knowing that all of her friends cared so much about her. It was actually pretty heartwarming to see. He made a mental note about asking Olivia what she would think about making them all their baby's godparents.

No more than 5 minutes later, the food finally came around. Harrison took his time to complain to the staff while Abby tapped away an angry email. It seemed very excessive, but Olivia knew that they all meant well.

By 7:30pm everybody had made it to their seats, and the event staff had dimmed the lights in the large banquet hall. The volume of the soft music began lower, and the lights of the cameras going through the audiences began to shine. The entire program would be recorded and set on a live stream, so Olivia was sure to smile whenever she saw a camera close.

The staff had been filling people's glasses with champagne the entire night, but nobody at their table drank. They did notice that some people around them had been knocking them back as if they were just cups of water, and Olivia kind of felt bad. They would surely do something very embarrassing after drinking so much, and it would all be caught on camera.

They all knew that Olivia would be receiving the Author of the Year Award closer to the end of the night, but she had still been nominated for some smaller things. To no one's surprise, she won in every category she was nominated in. Everytime she would have to stand up, Fitz would proudly get up and as well and pull her chair out, and they could all hear Tiffany screaming her name from her table.

Per Abby's recommendation, Olivia had already written an acceptance speech. It was something short and sweet, but she had put a lot of hard work into it. She had not shown it to anyone, but she had plans on acknowledging Fitz and the thought alone made her a little nervous. Olivia tended to be kind of private when it came down to her love life, so it was a big step to announce to the the people in the room, and everyone watching at home

With three other trophies now spread across the table, Fitz barely had room to keep his plate. He grinned proudly and put his arm around her chair. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear. 'You are so amazing.'

Olivia chuckled and turned her head to capture his lips for a quick kiss. 'You're just saying that because you have to.'

'I'm not.' he rebutted. 'Liv, we're going to need a waggon to take all of this back. I'm going to have to build you a trophy shelf this week to hold them.'

A smile spread across her face. 'You would really do that?'

'I'm going to have to.' he said in a matter of fact tone. 'We need everybody that comes over to see them.'

'Nobody ever comes to see us in Knights Ferry.' she teased.

'Well, then that means I get to look at them everyday.' he kissed her temple before leaning back in his seat once more as the next category was announced.

Olivia wasn't sure how well Fitz would get along with all her friends, but he held his own in the group discussions they had. By the end of the night, it even seemed like Harrison was starting to warm up a bit as well. With about an hour left in the ceremony, one of the staff members came over to the table and tapped Abby's shoulder.

'We're about to do the Author of the Year Award in about 10 minutes, so I just wanted to let you know to be ready.' the man said, jotting something down on his clipboard as he spoke.

'Thank you.' Abby patted his shoulder, letting him know he could leave. 'Showtime, kid. Get ready.'

Olivia took a short breath, but smiled and nodded her head. She pulled her clutch purse from underneath the table and popped the buckle open. Near the bottom was about 3 notecards with some talking points on them that she had written out. She squeezed the paper tightly in her hand, internally hyping herself up to receive her award.

After a very short intermission, Olivia's publisher, Cyrus Beene, took the stage. She wasn't expecting him to be the one to announce it, but it seemed rather fitting. He was the only person to give her a chance when she first started, and she was glad he would be a part of this big moment. It seemed like everything was coming full circle for them all.

Cyrus was in a black tuxedo and some shiny black shoes. It was something rather simple, but it was definitely his style. A few people clapped as he approached the microphone, but not too many people knew he was. Most of his work took place behind the scenes, and that's exactly how he liked it.

He adjusted the microphone but instead of putting it at his height, he pushed it down just a little lower. Cyrus knew that Olivia would use it right after him, so it would only make it easier on her. He pushed his hands behind his back and cleared his throat before speaking.

'Every year a new up and coming author is chosen to recieve this very prestigeous award. As you can see I have no envelop in my hands, because we all already know who the winner is.' he teased, earning small chuckle from the crowd. 'This young lady has burst into our small community, and taken it by storm. I have never met anyone so passionate about her work, and I don't think I'll see anyone else like this in my lifetime.'

'When I first met this young lady, she was a very shy college student pursuing a career she hated. I've had the privilege to see her grow up and do something that makes herself, and the people around her, happy. I could go one for hours, but that's not what you all came here to see.' he chortled. 'So without further rambling, I'd like to present the Author of the Year Award to Miss Olivia Carolyn Pope.'

The crowd immediately burst into applause, but it was still fairly easy to hear Tiffany screaming Olivia's name amongst all the others. Just as he had done before, Fitz stood to his feet to pull her chair out for her. Olivia was sure to grab her notecards off of the table before heading towards the stage.

She kept her eyes straight forward, but it was hard when people wanted to stop and ask for hugs on her way up. Cyrus met her halfway up the stairs with an outstretched hand, offering his support as she made it towards the top. With her freehand, she held her dress to make sure that she wouldn't trip over it. That would surely give Fitz a heart attack and that's not what she wanted for the night.

Cyrus escorted her all the way to the microphone, while the young volunteer behind them handed over the trophy. It was fairly big, almost as long as her arm, and very heavy. She actually couldn't wait to get back to her seat and hand it over to Fitz so that he could carry it wherever else they were going. The spotlights and cameras all turned to her, and Cyrus and the young woman both took a step away to give her some room.

Olivia fiddled a bit with her notecards in one hand, but then realized that she wouldn't be able to hold both things at the same time. She gently placed the trophy on the floor beside her feet, then stepped to the microphone.

The first face she saw in the crowd was Fitz. He was wearing a huge, toothy grin, and he mouthed a silent ' _I love you_ ' to her from his seat.

Before she could even open her mouth to begin her speech, though, she heard a small commotion coming from the crowd. She tried to see what was going on, but most of the lights were pointed towards the stage and she couldn't exactly tell where the noise was coming from.

Before long, though, it became fairly obvious. There was a man making his way towards the stage and although people were trying to stop him, he simply fought through the crowds. Suddenly, nobody's attention was on Olivia and they all watched as he headed towards the stairs.

'Security!' Abby screamed, standing up from the table.

Fitz also stood up, ready to take the stage himself. He couldn't really make out the person's face, so he had no idea who he was. His worst fear was that he was storming up there to hurt Olivia.

Cyrus took a step forward as well to stand in between him and Olivia, but the man simply pushed him out of the way. Initially Olivia thought that this must have been some type of surprise portion of the show, but when Cyrus hit the floor then she knew this hadn't been staged.

It was only then that Olivia realized that it was the young man from the bookstore. He definitely didn't seem like the nice guy she had met earlier, though. His eyes were cut towards her, and he was stomping around as if he were some type of monster.

Olivia gasped and immediately placed a protective hand over her stomach. She stood frozen in fear, not sure what Quincy's next move would be. She could see Cyrus trying his best to stand up, but her legs wouldn't even move to help him.

Quincy got into her personal space to grab the microphone out of her reach. In the process, he accidentally kicked the trophy over and knocked the notecards out of Olivia's hands. They both fell to the floor below the stage, the glass portion audibly shattering as it hit the ground.

He addressed the crowd, his words slurring from all the alcohol he had consumed. It was fairly obvious that he had been one of the people benefitting from the unlimited bottle service being passed around that night.

'I just came up here to tell you all that Olivia Pope is a fraud!' the entire crowd gasped, clearly in shock as to what was happening to before them. 'She doesn't deserve this fucking award! She doesn't care about anybody but herself!'

The people in the audience immediately began to 'boo', clearly not agreeing with what he had to say. Fitz had finally made his way to the stairs, but the security guards from backstage were already coming from behind the curtain. Three of them emerged and grabbed him, snatching him away from center stage.

'Fuck you, Olivia Pope!' he cried out as they carried him away. 'Fuck you!'

Olivia was visibly shaken by the outburst, and she simply stared as the men dragged Quincy away. The ordeal felt like it had taken place over the span of an hour, but in reality only about 20 seconds had passed by.

Fitz tried to make his way onto the stage, but another security guard stopped him. They had no idea who he was, and they didn't know if he was working with Quincy or not. The man encouraged Fitz to take his seat.

Cyrus made it back on his feet, and made quick work of picking the microphone back up. He placed it back on it's stand and then grabbed Olivia by the arm. He leaned over and whispered in hear ear.

'This is your time to shine, kiddo.' he said softly. 'Don't let that nut take this from you.'

Olivia simply nodded her head, now holding back tears of her own. She gently took the microphone and looked down, noticing her speech now spread across the banquet hall floor. She could see the guards ushering Fitz back to his seat, and Abby getting out of her seat to address somebody who was in charge. The entire crowd was chattering amongst each other about the drama that had just played out before them. Clearly, no one was paying attention to her.

'Hello.' she said softly, quieting down the crowd a bit. Olivia plastered on a smile, although it was pretty obvious that it was fake. 'Thank you all for coming tonight. I'm not sure what's going on, but I can guarantee that we'll be getting to the bottom of it.'

She had never been nervous in front of large crowds before, but Olivia could feel her hands shaking as she tried to remember her speech. 'I—I would like to thank some important people in my life. My friends, who I love dearly, Cyrus, who believed in me when nobody else did, and my family. I couldn't have done this without all of you, and I appreciate everything that you do for me.'

'Lastly, I would like to thank my b—boyfriend, Fitzgerald Grant.' she said, clearly shocking Fitz whose eyebrows nearly raised to the top of his head.

Her voice cracked as tear fell down her face. She wasn't sure if she was nervous to speak, feeling emotional about telling the world about Fitz, or just on edge from the Quincy situation. She had to assume that it was a combination of all these things playing on her pregnancy hormones.

'I— I couldn't have asked for a better person to love me, and everyday just keeps getting better. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, and just being there for me. I know that you're going to be the best daddy in the world.'

The entire crowd gasped at Olivia's admission, and she immediately regretted letting that part slip out. She hadn't even talked to Fitz about making a public announcement about the baby, yet here she was doing it on stage. Cyrus could tell that she was becoming flustered, and he took her by the arm. Olivia said one more 'Thank you' into the microphone before following Cyrus off the stage.

The mood in the lounge area was pretty tense as Olivia and Cyrus walked in. There were already other award recipients sitting on the sofas and sharing drinks, and they had seen the entire thing play out on the televisions. A few of them wanted to approach and check on her, but Cyrus made them all keep their distance. He knew that when she got nervous she had a tendency to pass out, and he wanted to avoid that.

Olivia flopped down on one of the empty couches and Cyrus grabbed her a cool bottle of water. He unscrewed the top and handed it over. 'How you feeling, Liv? I need you to breathe. Deep breaths.'

'I'm breathing, Cyrus.' she insisted, although it looked as if she was going to start crying. 'I'm fine.'

'What do you need?' he asked. Cyrus kneeled down so that they could be eye level. 'Tell me what it is and I'll get it.'

'Can you go get Fitz?' she asked meekly.

He lightly smiled and nodded his head. 'That's a very simple request. I'll be right back.'

Cyrus immediately stood and jogged out of the room. Olivia sat quietly for a few moments and tried to just drink her water, but it became hard when she realized that everyone in the room was watching her. All eyes were on her, and she could tell that they were all talking about the situation.

Feeling a bit too closed in, Olivia went to the bathroom in the lounge. She went inside and checked a couple of the stalls, thankful that it was completely empty. She locked the door and immediately fell to the floor, not caring that her dress was getting dirty. Her face fell into her hands and she began to cry.

About 5 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Olivia thought it was someone trying to use the toilet or check on her, but she wasn't interested in having company right then.

'Go away!' she demanded through her tears.

'Livvie.' Fitz said softly. 'It's me. Let me in. I need to know you're okay.'

Realizing that it was Fitz, Olivia got up and opened the door. The first thing she did was wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze him tightly. He stepped into the bathroom and allowed the door the shut once more so that they could have some privacy.

'Everything is going to be alright, Liv.' he assured, holding onto her waist.

In all honestly, Fitz's nerves had been on fire for the past few minutes. Despite him insisting, security had refused to let him anywhere near Olivia. The only reason he was able to come back stage was because Cyrus came and personally escorted him. He could tell that she was okay and that Quincy hadn't physically harmed her, but he still needed to see her up close. He needed to feel her and know for himself.

Olivia pulled away, her makeup running and her face wet. 'Fitz I'm so sorry I shouldn't have said that I'm so stupid and —' she began to ramble.

She was talking so fast Fitz's head nearly started spinning. He shook his head and spoke up to interrupt her. 'Slow down, Livvie. Why are you apalogizing? You didn't do anything wrong. And you're not stupid. Don't ever say that again.'

'Yes, I am.' she reached up to wipe away one of her tears, but Fitz beat her to it. 'I told everybody about the baby and I didn't say anything to you about it first. I didn't mean to do it, but it just slipped out.'

Fitz smiled warmly and pressed his forehead against hers. 'I thought what you said was beautiful. I loved it.'

'You're not mad?'

'Not at all.' he smiled and hugged her again, holding her close to his body and taking up all the warmth she had to offer.

'I was so scared.' she whispered into his ear. 'I thought he was going to try and hurt me. I didn't want anything to happen to the baby. I just panicked and froze up and —'

'It's alright, Olivia.' he gently rubbed her back. 'It's going to be okay. It's all over now. I was scared, too.'

She chuckled humorlessly. 'I bet I look a hot mess. There's no way I can go back out there now.'

Fitz pulled away from her to get a good look at her. He smiled and dabbed her cheeks with his thumbs and held her face in his hands. 'Your makeup is a bit off, but you look great.'

'I just couldn't stop crying once I made it back here.' Olivia murmered. 'It's these stupid pregnancy hormones.'

'Livvie, you thought somebody was trying to attack you.' he reasoned. 'It was a stressful situtation.'

Olivia sighed. 'Do we really have to go back? I think I'm just ready to go home.'

Fitz considered her proposition for a moment, but then nodded his head. 'I can go get Abby to get the limo pulled around. She and Teddy rode with us, so I'll tell them they have to come on.'

'Fitz, I don't mean back to my apartment.' she shook her head. 'I meant back to Knights Ferry. Back to _our_ home.'

Fitz's eyebrows immediately raised. He had never heard Olivia refer to Knights Ferry as her home, so this was a bit surprising. He nodded his head. 'Let's go home.'

'How are we going to sneak out?' she asked. 'I'm sure there's a media storm out there by now.'

'Just follow my lead.' he said, taking her hand. 'Do you trust me?'

Olivia giggled softly, but nodded her head. 'I trust you.'

'Good.' he opened the door to the bathroom. 'Let's go.'

The pair exited the bathroom as quietly as possible. The sound of the door opening brought people's attention to them, though, including Cyrus who was sitting on one of the couches and waiting. He immediately came over and hugged Olivia.

'Are you feeling any better?'

'I am.' she nodded and hugged him back. 'Thank you for everything, Cy. We're going to leave now.'

'I don't blame you.' he said sympathetically. 'I'll call you in the morning and check on you. Sound good?'

'Great.' she nodded once more. 'And, if anybody asks where I am can you please apologize for my absence. This night has turned into such a disaster.'

'You have no reason to apologize to anyone, Liv.' Cyrus insisted. 'Everyone will understand why you had to leave early. You need to go and get some rest. I'll find Abby and we'll handle the rest.'

'Thank you, Cyrus.' Fitz answered for Olivia this time. He wanted nothing more than to get her out of here at this point. He quickly shook the older man's hand then started to lead her through one of the back doors.

Olivia's feet shuffled as she followed Fitz out of the door. There was only one way out, and it was directly through the front entrance. The crowd was still a bit on edge and the show had taken a short intermission so that some of the staff could clean up and try and calm everyone down. Nobody was even paying attention as quietly walked through the shadows.

Just as Olivia had predicted, there were news reporters everywhere outside. The only thing they could see were bright flashing lights of cameras, and a few microphones being pushed in their faces. Fitz placed one arm around her waist, and used the other to try and obscure the camera's view of her face. Olivia walked with her head tucked into his shoulder, now even more eager to get away.

They didn't have to deal with the press for long, though, because there were a few police officers outside. They had been called to haul Quincy away, and there were still a few left just in case anybody else tried anything. The officers helped to make a path for Olivia and Fitz to pass through, and they hurried to the sidewalk.

Fitz rushed Olivia about a block away from the building, and then they finally stopped to catch their breath.

'What's the plan now?' Olivia asked, leaning against the wall of a shop.

'Honestly? I have no idea.' Fitz shrugged his shoulders. 'I didn't think we'd make it this far.'

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. 'You are such an idiot, Fitz.'

He chuckled and reached down in his pocket and grabbed his cellphone. Fitz opened up the Uber app and requested a car to pick them up at their location. Luckily, there was already one just a couple of blocks away and he arrived a few minutes later.

Fitz helped her stuff her dress into the small car, and then got in beside her. There wasn't a lot of traffic since it had gotten pretty late, but the ride was still took way too long for their liking. The driver attempted a couple of times to chat with them, but neither were very responsive.

Once they arrived at Olivia's apartment building, they got out of the car and Fitz ushered her inside the lobby. He headed towards the elevator, but she stopped him.

'What's wrong?' he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

'I don't want to go back upstairs right now.' her head shook. 'Can we please just leave?'

'What about all of our stuff?'

'I'll have Abby send it.' she gently tugged him towards the door of the parking garage. 'Can we please just go?'

Fitz sighed but smiled. He didn't have anything upstairs except for some clothes, and he had plenty more at home. Instead of arguing, he followed her into garage where her car was parked.

It only took them a few minutes to get in the car and on the road again. Fitz wanted to talk to her about what had just happened, but he would save the conversation for another time. He could tell she was tired, and he didn't blame her.

He gently placed his right hand over her stomach, while the left one stayed on the steering wheel. Olivia intertwined her fingers with his, both now resting over her growing belly. Whatever happened after this, they would just have to deal with tomorrow.

For now, all that mattered is that they were together, they were safe, and they were on their way home.

* * *

After about an hour of driving, they were almost halfway back to Knights Ferry. Olivia had long fallen asleep, but Fitz was enjoying the quiet. It was giving him the time and space to process everything going on around him.

Olivia woke up with a startled look on her face. She gasped loudly and swiped Fitz's hand off of her stomach. 'Fitz!' she hollered.

'What's wrong?' he yelled back, clearly shocked over her outburst. 'Did you have a nightmare? Are you sick?'

'No!' she smacked his shoulder. 'We forgot Teddy!'

Fitz's eyes widened at the realization. 'Fuck. Should we go back for him?'

'Of course we have to go back for your brother!' she said as if it was obvious. 'He lives with us! How would he get back?'

'Can't Abby just send him with the rest of our stuff?' he teased, clearly not taking the situation as seriously as she was.

'Don't be a smart ass.' she lightly scolded.

He sighed but chuckled and shook his head. There wasn't anymore traffic around them since it was so late, so Fitz made a U-turn in the middle of the street.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Back to Knights Ferry! I don't have much to say about this chapter, but it was fun writing a little drama in. I enjoyed it. Thank you all for sticking with me, hope you liked it, and please leave me a review! Until next time!_**

 ** _Excuse my typos or any redundancy. I proofread, but I probably could've reviewed it once more._**


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